


Broken Like An Angel

by Kitsune_157



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Father/Son Incest, First Kiss, First Love, Incest, M/M, Parent/Child Incest, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Underage Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2020-03-19 17:20:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 37
Words: 59,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18974722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_157/pseuds/Kitsune_157
Summary: Draco Malfoy. Rich, arrogant snob in Harry's opinion. Well that was what he used to think but an accidental discovery changes that... Warnings: Abuse, rape (incest), slash (male x male). Drarry. Hurt!Draco, Comforting!Harry. I decided that an M rating may be more appropriate but mature or sensitive content will always be marked. I do not own the Harry Potter series. Set during The Goblet of Fire.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I only just found I don't have to put a chapter title in...

_Pain. Pain was all I could think of right now. It was all I could process and it was overwhelming. I felt the blows cease and the sound of a door closing but it was only a vague observation. I had dissociated from myself. I knew it was happening but I couldn't feel any of it. I was somewhere else trying to think of anything else and not what was happening to me. I knew that I'd have to return to myself but, based on past experiences, it would be after I had passed out. I always passed out; my body and mind just couldn't deal with all the pain and damage. As I had expected, blackness began to take over my vision and soon everything went black._

**3 hours earlier**

I walked up the magnificent driveway and stared at the spectacular manor in front me. I had seen it many times before, I lived there after all, but after having been away for a whole term I was flooded with relief at returning to it. Everything about it was grand and, though I could not describe it as cosy or particularly homely, it was my home. My mother had accompanied me from the station but my father was, of course, busy. He would be home later and, honestly, I wished he would somehow be delayed. I strode up the driveway and pushed the large wooden doors open in one confident movement. Everything was as it had been when I left 4 months ago; spotless and magnificent. I navigated around the familiar hallways and entered my bedroom. While not as awe-inspiring as the rest of the building, it was more comfortable and personal. The manor was designed to give the family a high class and intimidating reputation and it was very successful but to do so it sacrificed the cosy feeling that a home would usually have. My bedroom, however, was different. The room itself had not been designed for me specifically but I had decorated the room as I wanted it. This meant that, though it still had to look respectable, it was far more personal than the rest of the manor and I was glad for the change. I flopped down on my four-poster bed and closed my eyes, sighing in relief. I was happy to be home and the fact that my father wasn't here just made the return even better. Although life in the castle was good, it was nice to see my mother again even though I didn't show it much. I had missed the manor while I was away; it's peaceful but powerful atmosphere, the fact that I could do whatever I wanted and the emptiness. I can have as much time to myself as I want here with no one to disturb me.

I must have fallen asleep for a while as I woke up to a house elf in my doorway, nervously delivering a message.

"I'm most s-sorry to interrupt your n-nap Master Draco but dinner is served f-for you in the dining r-room."

Reluctantly I rose from the bed and followed after the house elf to find the meal that he had spoken of. I wasn't particularly hungry but I knew I should eat something and talk to my parents a little.  _'Please, PLEASE tell me that father isn't back yet…'_

As I reached the grand wooden double doors that led to the dining room, I took a deep breath to prepare myself of what was to come, still mentally praying to a god I didn't believe in that my father wasn't home and that not many questions would be asked. The doors swung away from me and I walked in with confidence that I didn't feel to find my mother and father sitting at the table.  _'Of course he's here. Since when do my prayers ever get answered?'_

"Hello Draco. It's good to see you again. We missed you." My father greeted politely but with none of the emotion you would expect from a father seeing his son for the first time in 4 months.

"Hello Father, Mother. It's good to see you too. I missed you both as well." I replied in a similar fashion, taking my place at the table, unfortunately, next to my father.

I began my meal which was, as expected, delicious and begged to anyone listening that they wouldn't ask any questions about my time away. Again, my prayers went unnoticed.

"So Draco… how was school? At the top of all your classes I hope?" My father asked.

"It was alright. Well… I'm not quite at the top but I'm definitely s-second…" I mumbled, the usual and expected arrogance gone under my father's gaze.

"Second? Why are you not first? Malfoys are second to none." Lucius spoke with barely contained rage.

"But Father, Granger has read every book for school plus loads more! She must have read half the library already. The damn mud-blood is a genius…" I muttered the last part to myself but he must have heard it.

"You're second… to a muggle-born?!" My father almost yelled.

"Well she's really smart and she has read every book we have for the curriculum and more. She's friends with Harry Potter too and he knows some really advanced magic..." I mumbled knowing that nothing I said would do any good. I'd tried every tactic I could think since the first time but nothing worked.

"You're second to a mud-blood? And one who's friends with Potter no less?! You're a disgrace to the Malfoy name!" My father shouted, making the tableware rattle quietly with its volume.

"I'm sorry! I'll try harder, I swear!" I begged knowing it wouldn't make any difference but still clinging to the last remnants of hope I had.

"Oh, you'll try harder, will you? Why weren't you trying as hard as you could anyway? Why do you even need to try?! You should be able to beat her without any effort at all! You must just be stupid. That's what it is; you can't beat her because you're too stupid!" He continued to yell and I gasped at the feeling when a hand connected hard with the side of my face. I knew that this was just the beginning but it still hurt. It always hurt at the beginning before the numbness settles in. Then it's just the mental pain; the emotional hurt that never heals and never subsides. I'm filled with the knowledge that I'm stupid, pathetic, a disgrace. I'm not good enough for my father and I never will be. I know that yet I still try. I try so damn hard but it's never enough. I'm a disappointment to everyone and that's painful to know and I can never forget since my mind taunts me with it constantly. I'm not good enough for this family and, if they knew the truth, I probably wouldn't even be a part of it and then where would I go? I have nowhere to run to, no one to turn to. It's not like anyone cares after all.

These thoughts filled my mind as the blows continued to rain down on my fragile body. The blows varied; a kick then a punch and so on which brings me to where I began my story; the pain and then the blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco's POV

I woke up to the feel of something soft beneath my body and warmth surrounding me. From past experiences, I could guess that my mother had brought me to my bed. She always tried her best to look after me after a beating like that and I really did appreciate it but I couldn't help selfishly wishing that she would just prevent it happening in the first place. I knew it was selfish to think like that. In the beginning she had tried to protect me but Lucius is a strong man and not one to be messed with. He just slapped her and pushed her out of the way, yelling at her about how naughty children needed to be punished. The first few times she had tried but it was to no avail and she soon gave up. She had never stopped looking after me afterwards though.

I soon felt sleep taking over my mind and I gladly gave in to it, happy to escape from reality for a while.

**Broken Like An Angel**

No POV

The next time Draco woke up he was sure he had not been asleep for long. It was still dark and he felt as tired as he had when he last fell asleep. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was his father kneeling over him with a very angry expression. Not good. Looking closer, well as close as he could in the dark room, he saw that there was another emotion on his face that he couldn't quite decipher, like a predatory look that made me feel even more vulnerable and scared than he was before. He hadn't seen this look on his father, or anyone really, before and he wished it would go away and his father would leave with it.

"I heard you Draco." Lucius snarled, anger clear in his tone.

"W-what do you m-mean father? I was asleep, I wasn't making any noise." Draco defended. It was futile; his father was pissed off and nothing would change until he had channelled his anger somewhere, most likely to Draco's body.

"Oh yes you were, Draco. I heard you. Moaning and gasping. And do you know what else I heard?" Lucius asked in an obviously fake friendly voice.

"N-no, father. I don't know but i'm t-terribly sorry to have disturbed you and I am v-very embarrassed." Draco stuttered knowing that his replies to these questions would determine the severity of tonight's beating.

"Well i'll tell you then, shall I? I heard you, my only son, moaning "Potter" and "Harry". That means that, not only is my son, the heir to the Malfoy family, gay but he is having dreams about our enemy!" Lucius yelled at him.

"I'm s-sorry! I-I can ch-change!" I pleaded, shocked and terrified by the situation. I knew I had been having... inappropriate dreams about Potter recently but I was not going to let my parents find out. I knew this would be hell for me.

"I don't think you can. Just admit it; you're gay! You want cock up your arse. There's no use lying about it. I know now." Lucius sneered, a malicious smirk on his face.

"No! It's not true!" Draco begged although he knew it was pointless. His father was already very pissed off and could probably tell he was lying anyway.

Draco had known he was gay for a few months now but had told no one. He had never been interested in girls really. Sure he pretended to be sometimes since everyone else did but he never had been. What made him realise he was gay, however, was when he started having wet dreams about other guys. Well not 'other guys' per se since it was actually only Harry. Yes, Harry fucking Potter had made him gay. The supposed 'enemy'. Draco had never agreed with his father's actions and his allegiance with the Dark Lord but of course he could never oppose him either. He was far too much of a coward to do that. That was yet another reason he liked Harry so much; he admired his courage. Harry had done so much in his 3 years at Hogwarts so far. He had helped many people, saved them in some cases, and he was a very powerful wizard already even though he had only been at the school for 3 years. Draco wasn't sure what Harry's life at home had been like because all he had ever heard about it was from his father who said that he was spoiled rotten and treated like a hero just like everywhere else. However, when Draco first saw Harry, he was wearing a far too big, scrappy grey t-shirt that looked like it would slip off his shoulders at any second. His jeans had been too big as well and were being held up by a tight belt that showed how thin he was by how much spare belt there was.

**~Rape bit begins (Not really graphic but if you're very sensitive or squeamish or something, you might want to skip it) ~**

Draco was brought back from his musings by a movement from his father. He had shifted a little and was tugging at his pants, trying to remove them. He had no idea what his father was trying to do since he had been thinking when he probably should have been listening but he was fairly sure nothing good could involve removing his pyjama pants. Draco struggled weakly against his father and was shocked a terrified when Lucius moved one of his hands from their mission to removed his pants and had begun unzipping his own pants. He stared in fear as his father continued to remove the clothing from the lower half of his body before trying once again to rid Draco of his pyjamas. This time Draco struggled more forcefully. He had an idea of where this was heading and he was terrified. He tried to refuse the idea that his father would do that to him but his mind reasoned that he had already beaten and broken him in every other way so what would stop him from doing this? Draco was sure it would destroy him but that was what Lucius wanted.

He shouted and squirmed trying to escape the clutches of the too familiar man knelt above him but it was in vain. Lucius was stronger and he was determined to break Draco once and for all in this final way, stripping him of his dignity and virginity, completely humiliating and traumatising him. Draco felt with startling clarity that was only ever felt in crisis situations, the material of his pyjamas brushing down his legs as they were pulled from his body and he fought more. 'This can't be happening...' He thought, yet it was. He felt two hands roughly grab his hips and pull him back towards the man and hold him in place.

A ear piercing scream escaped the young blonde as an excruciating pain took over the boy and his thoughts shut down, mind unable to focus on anything but the feeling that could only be described as being torn in two. Tears fell freely down his face as he continued to scream until his throat was raw and unable to do so anymore. Still his father continued his actions. Finally he felt something hot run down his legs and Lucius moved away from his broken and petrified son.

**~Rape bit ends~**

"You got what you deserved. How dare my only son be gay. And to be attracted to that boy, Potter?! You are a disgrace." The blonde man spat before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

Draco curled up on his bed, letting out a whimper as a bolt of pain struck his spine. In this position he could see that the hot substance he had felt was a mixture of white and the red of his own blood, proof of his father's actions had he needed more than the immense pain and memories that would never leave him. He began to cry more, sobs racking his body. He remained like this for a long time, sobbing and wishing it was all just some sick nightmare but the pain clearly told him that it wasn't. This was real. His own father really had raped him. The knowledge caused him to break down crying yet again. Exhausted, he fell into a fitful sleep filled with memories he prayed he would one day forget.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry PoV

I had never travelled by portkey before and I decided that I never wanted to do it again if I could help it. It was the most disorientating experience ever and it caused me to land hard on my arse on the ground. Not what I class as comfortable travel.

I had been staying at the burrow for a while as I did most summers and Hermione had been too but this year we were going to the Quidditch World Cup. We met up with Amos and Cederic Diggory and used a portkey, unnervingly in the form of an old boot, to go to the World cup.

As we made our way to to our seats for the match, we happened to run into the Malfoys, Lucius and Draco. I was not surprised when Lucius began to mock the Weasleys though my lack of surprise did nothing to quench my anger towards the arrogant blonde man. I was, however, surprised when I saw that Draco was not joining in. He was standing quietly behind his father saying nothing with a look of... what was that? It looked like a combination of fear, sadness and pain but that didn't make sense. Why would Malfoy be any of those things, and at the Quidditch cup no less?

He must have noticed me staring at him because he looked at me with a glare but it didn't reach his eyes as the emotions from before remained there.

"Come on Harry." I heard Ron say from beside me but it took him pulling on my arm to move me from where I was standing. I was transfixed by Draco, trying to understand what was going on in his head at that moment. He was usually so predictable and easy to understand;he was angry and insulted me because he was on Voldemort's side and I was trying to kill Voldemort. Now though, I just couldn't understand what he was thinking.

I numbly followed the Weasleys and Diggorys to our seats but I wasn't paying them any attention. My mind was still on Draco. He was so quiet compared to usual and the look in his eyes told me that something was wrong, it didn't, however, tell me what. I was also unsure why I cared. Should I have been glad that the young Malfoy was being quiet and not insulting everyone for a change? By this time we had arrived at our seats but my mind had not kept up, it was still back there with Draco fucking Malfoy. I tried to focus on the excited atmosphere of the event going on around me which seemed like it should be a simple task considering the overwhelming cheer that was surrounding him. However, I couldn't get myself totally into it. Even when the match started and the rest of the audience became completely engrossed in the players whizzing around the huge pitch in front of them, part of my mind remained with the blond boy who was only a few tiers below me.

Draco PoV

Of all the people to see here, it had to be bloody Harry Potter. I guess it wasn't that surprising since he was a serious quidditch fan and the youngest Hogwarts seeker in years but I still hadn't expected to see him here. What surprised me even more was the curiosity he displayed upon seeing me. At first I hadn't noticed, too busy observing my father and ensuring his mood stayed manageable, but I had soon realised that Potter's eyes had barely left my face since we had met in the stairwell.

I looked at him with a glare that would hopefully discourage his staring but it didn't work to plan. What I saw when I looked at him was far from what I had expected. I had expected amusement and curiosity, perhaps a little hatred too but instead I found concern, confusion and slight anger, most likely from the way my father was speaking to his friends. It was common knowledge how protective Harry was of his friends and I had wondered many times in the past whether he would be as protective and possessive of any lover he would have, and he would have many I was sure. Of course he would have people queuing up for just one date with him; he was Harry Potter which, of course, counted for a lot to many people, he was undeniably good looking and, to those who knew him even a little, he was brave, kind and understanding. What's not to like? Basically he was the total opposite of myself.

He was still staring at me, more emotions I couldn't accurately decipher flitting in his eyes as the weasel dragged him away by the sleeve.

I was glad he was gone and my relief at escaping that constant watch was great. I sighed quietly, hoping my father didn't hear. I had no doubt that, even if he didn't do it now, he would punish me for it back at the manor should he hear me doing something so undignified in public. He didn't seem to notice and my relief increased even further. We made our way to our viewing box and sat down, ready for the thrilling match that was sure to take place. However, my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering to the emotions I had seen in those bright green eyes and trying to understand what they could mean. Was it concern I saw in his eyes or pity? I didn't need any pity. He didn't even know what was going on. To him I was just an arrogant, rich snob whose only interests were money and power and that's how I wanted it to stay. Well not really... I would much rather he love me like I was fairly sure I loved him but since I knew that would never happen, this would have to suffice.  
I bet it was just disgust and I was only being optimistic and thinking it was something better. It was the only logical solution since Harry Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, would never give a shit about a pathetic idiot like myself. If even my own father hated me, why would anyone else even spare me a second glance? It was just wishful thinking on my part; the result of my disgraceful desperation and I was angry at myself for being so pathetic. I could almost hear my father's response to my muddled thoughts.

_'He's the enemy Draco! How dare you think any different! Have I taught you nothing?! It doesn't really matter anyway though, does it Draco, because even if he weren't the enemy, he would never want you. Who would? You're a disgrace! Disgusting, stupid and now, tainted. You're not a virgin anymore, remember? No one will ever want you. You're filthy and weak. You let me do it and you enjoyed it, didn't you Draco? Don't deny it...'_

I could hear my father's voice in my mind as though he were whispering it directly into my ear and I scrunched my eyes up tight, trying to dispel the thoughts. I opened my eyes again and tried to focus on the game but the cheerful atmosphere and excitement surrounding me only made me feel all the more isolated.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry PoV

A large grin spread across my face as the castle came into view and I couldn't contain my excitement at being back at Hogwarts for my fourth year. The Quidditch World Cup was brilliant even though I was a little distracted and I always loved staying with the Weasleys, however, nothing could compare to being at Hogwarts. The lessons which were always fascinating to me, the people who were all so interesting and different and, even though it was exhausting and often terrifying, I found the constant dangerous 'incidents' that seemed to follow me everywhere thrilling. I didn't want these things to happen, like the chamber being opened in second year or finding out about the philosopher's stone in first year, but when they did and I had a large role to play in solving the problems, I couldn't help finding it very exciting.

Smile still on my face though I had calmed down somewhat, I looked around at the other students surrounding me. Everyone looked happy to be back... well almost everyone. A familiar blonde head was a few feet away from me and I focused on him. The deep sadness and pain was still visible accompanied by relief and, although I could see the emotions in his ethereal grey eyes, I couldn't understand it.

I was not naïve enough to believe that our strange connection at the world cup would make any difference to our relationship at school, or anywhere else for that matter, but when he saw me and looked away with a typical Draco scowl, emotions that I had not expected rose up within me; hurt, anger and... a hint of betrayal. I suppressed them as best I could and tried to join in a conversation that a few fellow Griffindors were holding nearby me but neither my head nor my heart were in it. They remained with the blonde haired, silver eyed boy mere metres from me. Somehow those metres felt more like miles...

I didn't get much of a chance to see Draco that first evening back. There was the feast in the main hall, made even more interesting by the announcing of the tri-wizard tournament, and the sorting of the first years after which we all ate more than our stomachs could really handle and retired to our dormitories to sleep off the excess food and exhaustion of the journey there.

The next day, every conversation I passed was focused on the goblet of fire that Dumbledore had revealed at the feast the day before. Personally, I really couldn't see the appeal. Risking your life for a little bit of fame; I had experienced more than my fair share of fame and it was far from what people expected. People think you have absolutely no right to privacy when you're famous, think they should be allowed access to every aspect of your life and everyone knows about you. There's no getting to no people since everyone already knows almost everything about you! Yeah... Fame is not all it's cracked up to be.

Lessons started the next day and I was, surprisingly, happy to see that I shared quite a few lessons with Malfoy. Obviously, I wasn't going to walk up to him in class and ask why he looks miserable- that would be stupid- but I could subtly study him and try to figure it out myself.

I was distracted from my musings by Ron and Hermione's voices. They were whispering so they wouldn't be caught by the teacher but sitting next to them I could hear them clearly. I realised that they probably thought I was listening so I turned slightly to look at them and tried to figure out what they were talking about.

"-just think we should get a head start."

"Hermione, how exactly do you expect to do that? You-know-who isn't exactly broadcasting his plans to the entire wizarding world, is he?" Ron replied, scepticism obvious in his tone. I now had a rough idea what they were talking about and what Hermione said did make sense.

"Well i'm not suggesting we go just waltz up to him and ask him to tell us his evil plans! I'm just saying that a bit of intel might be beneficial to us." She hissed. "What do you think Harry?" She asked, back to whispering.

"Umm... I agree that information would be helpful, especially since he's already attacked once, but Ron has a point; how do you intend to do that?" I replied, saying they were both right in an attempt not to anger either of them.

"You really think that I don't have a plan?! I suggest we use your invisibility cloak, Harry, and sneak into the Slytherin common room. Many of the known Death Eaters children' are in Slytherin so we might be able to find out something useful." Ron and I just stared in surprise and slight amusement. "What?" She hissed when we just stared.

"I will never get used to you suggesting to break the rules... We are having a really bad influence on you." Ron muttered.

"It's a good idea though." I interjected.

"We'll do it tonight then, alright? The sooner we get information, the longer we have to plan a counter-attack or a defence." Hermione told us. Ron and I nodded in confirmation before turning back to the teacher and trying to figure out what he was talking about... Tonight would be a good opportunity for me to find out a bit more about what was going on with Malfoy.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure about this?" Hermoine asks, concern lacing her voice.

"Yeah, this is a bad idea, mate. Let me come with you; we've done it before." Ron added.

"No. I'll be fine. Nobody will even know that i'm there." Harry insisted.

Midnight found the three students, huddled in the Gryffindor common room, speaking in hushed tones while trying to execute their plan. They had had it all figured out until, a few moments ago, Harry had announced that he intended to go under the invisibility cloak by himself. This, of course, had been met with accost from his two closest friends who had claimed it was, to quote Hermione, 'far too dangerous to go alone'. Harry, however, was insistent and refused to change his mind. This was the perfect opportunity that he had been waiting for and he was not about to let it slip through his fingers by letting Ron come with him to the dungeons.

Harry pulled the cloak over his head, successfully putting an end to any further debate and headed towards the portrait hole that would let him out into the castle. Walking cautiously through the halls of the castle, the black haired boy was alert to every sound, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps or the meow of Mrs. Norris that would mean he spent the next few afternoons in detention. He knew that getting caught wandering the halls after dark would land him in trouble that he really didn't need right now and he also knew that it would lose Gryffindor house points which they desperately needed thanks to Snape and his discrimination against them in potions class. This knowledge however, only forced him to be careful and keep quiet; nothing could discourage him from his mission. No matter how much trouble he might get into for it, he was determined to get to the Slytherin dorms. He continued on his way, trying to keep silent and navigate his way around the darkened school without using Lumos for fear of being caught.

When he reached the wall behind which the Slytherins reside, he leaned against another wall and waited. Without knowing the password, all could do was wait and hope that someone would enter or leave the common room so that he could slip in undetected.  
Eventually, about twenty minutes later, a Slytherin boy who Harry didn't recognise but seemed to be in his fifth or sixth year, muttered a word that he couldn't decipher and the wall swung open to allow him access. Seeing his chance, Harry leaped through the doorway with as much discretion as he could manage while still making it through before the door close once again. Looking around the common room, the Gryffindor could see that like their common room was designed for them, this was obviously designed for the Slytherins. The walls were stone and there was green and silver everywhere. Decoration was sparse but regal and the whole room was rather gloomy and cold yet it still maintained a luxurious and grand atmosphere.

Prying his gaze away from his surroundings, Harry set about his missions. First he needed to do some investigation about the death eaters' and Voldemort's plans to report back to Hermione and Ron. Honestly, he didn't think that he would find anything but he thought he should look anyway, just in case. Why would they have information and just leave it lying around the common room?! Not all of the Slytherins were death eaters or death eaters' children. After that he had his own mission to tend to. That was the real reason he wouldn't let Ron come with him.

Quickly shuffling through the contents of the common room, Harry concluded that there was, as expected, nothing incriminating or even slightly helpful here. This decided, he set about trying to find his way through the dungeons to Draco's dorm.  
Many dead-ends, wrong turns and frustrated outbursts later, Harry peered around yet another door and saw yet another room filled with beds surrounded by curtains. Walking as quietly as possible across the room, he pulled the curtains of one of the beds slightly away from the wall and had to suppress a woop of joy when he caught a glimpse of the platinum blonde hair he'd been searching for all night. His joy was short-lived, however, when he stepped into the small area, shrugging the cloak off of himself and placing it next to him, and saw the aforementioned blonde hair soaked in sweat as its owner tossed, turned and flailed in his sleep, obviously trapped in a nightmare. Concern and curiosity welled up in the black haired boy as he watched his supposed enemy thrashing in his sheets, pure terror clear on his face.

Harry held his breath and turned sharply when he heard whispering, afraid he had been caught by the other Slytherins occupying the room. Behind him, he found nothing. Looking to the bed once again, he saw a slight movement of the other boy's lips and, figuring that this must be the source of the whispering and whimpering, he leaned in to hear what was being said. Harry felt his concern increase and threaten to overwhelm him when he heard the sounds more clearly.

"Father… No… No, please no father!"

It was spoken with such fear and pain and in such a pitiful tone that Harry had to take a moment to assure himself that this was indeed Draco Malfoy. This was a very vulnerable, hurt Draco Malfoy.  
Far from elegantly, the black haired boy dropped into a chair at the end of the bed and held his head in his hands. What could have happened to Draco to make him so traumatised? Was he having a nightmare or a memory? What should he do with the knowledge he now possessed? He didn't know very much still, he admitted, but he still knew more than he felt Draco would be comfortable with. How should he deal with the situation?  
He pondered this question for quite a while before formulating a plan of action. Eventually, with a plan figured out, he looked around for some parchment and a quill, finding them both on Malfoy's desk mere metres from him. Walking quietly over to the desk, he scribbled a short note signing his name at the bottom, he folded it in half then again and again before slipping it into one of the pockets of Malfoy's school robes.

Silently slipping back under the cloak, he stealthily returned to the door which led back out to the castle and ran as quietly as he could back to the Gryffindor tower to report back to Hermione and Ron that he had found nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco PoV

I woke up feeling like I had barely slept which, to an extent, was true. I had woken repeatedly throughout the night, fragments of memories accompanying me into consciousness each time and haunting me until sleep took me once again and a new, equally terrifying event was vividly replayed before my eyes.

I tried to clear my mind of the residual memories of the night, breathing deeply in and out with the hope that it would help, before stretching and reluctantly dragging myself from the comfort of my bed.  
I dressed and walked to the Great Hall on auto-pilot, not really paying any attention to my surroundings. By the time I had sat at the Slytherin table and placed a few select items of food on my plate, I had mostly cleared my mind of the night's terrors. That's not to say that they were gone or forgotten by any means. They were never gone, just temporarily supressed waiting to overwhelm me again as soon as my guard is down.  
I look at the food in front of me and feel my stomach turn. It's not unusual for me to have little appetite these days but it's always worse after nights like last night and I now feel that, despite my plate containing only a piece of dry toast and a fried egg, any breakfast would probably not stay in my system very long so in order to be less suspicious, I cut up my egg and moved it around the plate a little making quite a mess. It was still obvious that nothing had been eaten but unless someone was paying close attention to me, I doubt anyone would notice.

Sitting back a little in my seat, I shove my hands into my pockets in a way that is certainly not befitting of a Malfoy. Despite this and the knowledge that, had I been back at the manor at the moment, I would have gotten at least a slap to the face for this undignified behaviour, it made me feel more… hidden, safe… inconsequential I guess and that's what I want right now; for people to just ignore me so I don't have to act like the usual me. It's hard to explain how it makes a person feel to have to act like a person they used to be. It's… exhausting, stifling and degrading to have to pretend you're someone you used to be. It's made even worse by the fact that I wish more than anyone that I could go back to that time…  
As I pushed my hands further down into the depths of my pockets, I felt something brush against my fingers. Grasping the object in my hand I vaguely registered that it was rectangular in shape as I pulled it out to investigate it further. It was a piece of parchment folded into quarters and I had no idea how it had gotten there.

Opening it, I read the short message inside and could not hide my shock as my head snapped up and I scanned the Gryffindor table for a certain mess of untameable black hair. I found him and, much to my surprise and slight discomfort, bright green eyes met my silver ones and a small smile was sent in my direction. I felt my cheeks heat up and I hoped that my blush wasn't noticeable and that the glare I was sending in return would send the message that I did not appreciate his little message.  
It seemed, however, that Potter did not understand that as he just continued smiling before turning away to resume his breakfast and conversation with the other Gryffindors.

'Why must he be so naïve… Probably because he was pampered and spoiled for his entire life since he's "The Boy Who Lived". He has no idea about the suffering going on in the world, in other people's lives.'

Deciding I'd sat there pretending to eat for long enough, I rose from my seat and made my way to back to the Slytherin common room and my dorm to collect my equipment for potions class first. 'With the Gryffindors… Great.'  
Flopping with no grace whatsoever onto my bed, again I removed the note from my pocket and unfolded it, staring at the messy scrawl of ink across the page.

_Draco,_

_I need to talk to you. Could you meet me on the Astronomy Tower at 10pm? To be honest, I'm not really expecting you to show up but I would appreciate it if you did and I think that it could benefit you as well._

_Harry P._

I wasn't sure if the note had been written quickly or if Harry's handwriting was always so horrendous and I still had no idea when he had managed to put this in my robe but I did know that my curiosity was piqued. Why did he want to meet me? What could The Boy Who Lived possibly have to say to pathetic death eater scum like me? Walking to potions in a contemplative trance, I pondered this question but found no answers. Perhaps meeting him would clear up this dilemma… How much harm could it really do anyway?


	7. Chapter 7

Harry PoV

For the entire potions class I could feel Malfoy's glares in my direction. He'd glare at me then turn back towards the teacher for few minutes before looking back at me again. He clearly wasn't paying attention to the lesson and I amused myself with the thought that Malfoy's potion next lesson could go wring because his attention was on me. Of course, knowing him, it was very possible that his potion would still somehow turn out perfectly.  
I knew his glares weren't of malice but of confusion and suspicion. He was trying to figure out why I wanted to talk to him, how i'd gotten the note to him and whether all this was some kind of elaborate trick to humiliate him in some way. Being enemies for as long as we had been had made me quite good at understanding how he thinks. I had always suspected that he wasn't quite as arrogant as he led everyone to believe but in the last few days since we had returned to Hogwarts, my suspicions had been confirmed. It wasn't anything obvious and anyone else probably wouldn't have even noticed; I did though. There was a falseness to his arrogance that had always had me skeptical which was now even more pronounced, like he was struggling to keep up the act, and that along with some other strange behaviour made me sure that something was very wrong with Draco Malfoy.

I was eagerly anticipating 10pm despite the nervousness I felt at the knowledge that he may not show up and even more so at the thought of the conversation that would take place if he did.  
Should I ask him straight out what he was having a nightmare about or should I try to figure it out using more subtle methods? The Gryffindor in me wants me to just ask him; that's the honest way, but then I remember who i'm dealing with. This is a slytherin, a cunning, sly and secretive boy. This is Draco Malfoy. He's not going to just tell me of all people because I ask him nicely. Chances are I was going to have to use underhanded tactics if I really wanted to help Draco with whatever was plaguing him. And, for some reason, I really did want to help him.

The rest of the day's classes passed torturously slowly without Draco to amuse me and by the last few hours I was begging any God that may exist for 10pm to hurry up. Even though I was still nervous, I was excited at the prospect of finally getting an idea of what was going on with Malfoy. I'm still not sure why I care so much about it. I don't hate him but that's not to say we're suddenly best friends so why am I making such an effort to help him? It was a question I still had no answer to and I was beginning to think that, should I ever figure it out, I may not like the answer I find. Do I just have some kind of compulsive need to save everyone or is it something else?

When the last lesson finally ended I could hardly restrain my relief and, judging by my two best friends' expressions, I didn't do very well at it. Thankfully they didn't question it, probably just putting it down to fatigue or something similar.  
As 10pm drew nearer I found my nervousness increasing and, sitting in the Gryffindor common room at 9pm, I was sure that the whole of Gryffindor, if not the whole school, knew what was going on despite how unrealistic the idea was. I was fidgeting, my foot was tapping and I was checking the time every 10 seconds or so. At around 9:40pm I deemed it time to go and declared that I was going to bed before walking to the dormitories, yawning for good measure on the way. Upon reaching the tower that housed the boys' dormitories I sped to my trunk and withdrew the shimmering material of my invisibility cloak, draped it over myself and left the Gryffindor area as stealthily as possible.

I navigated the maze or corridors in the castle with practice ease, my mind on other things. My apprehension grew with each step closer to the Astronomy tower and I momentarily considered turning back and just forgetting about it all; Malfoy probably wouldn't show anyway. I hastily discarded that thought. There was a chance that he would come and I didn't want him to think I tricked him. I needed him to trust me if I was going to stand any chance of figuring this out and helping Draco with it and I genuinely did want to help him.

I felt a coldness on my face bringing me back to the present and making me realise that I had already arrived on the roof of the Astronomy tower. Looking around I saw stars in the already dark sky and the moon was supplying minimal light to the roof which was devoid of any other person. I breathed a sigh of relief that Draco wasn't there yet as I still had no idea what to say to him.

"That relieved that I hadn't shown up Potter? Sorry to disappoint you then."

I span to see Malfoy standing there, anxiety and hurt masterfully hidden but still evident if one looks hard enough and knows what to look skin looked more pale than usual and his hair seemed to reflect the moonlight giving the boy an almost ethereal appearance. Tearing my eyes from where they had been transfixed to my enemy I realised I should speak and explain myself.

"Hi." Not quite what I had in mind...


	8. Chapter 8

No PoV

"Hi..." Harry replied, obviously caught off guard.

Draco span on his heel and began to walk briskly back the way he had come from but was stopped before he could reach the door by a hand around his wrist accompanied by an exclamation of 'Wait!'. Slowly turning around, Draco was met with desperate emerald eyes staring straight at him.

"What do you want Potter? I don't have time to waste talking to you. I know that you're tricking me somehow and frankly I'm really not in the mood."

The arrogant words did nothing to fool Harry, however, as he could clearly see the hurt that was plainly there on the blonde's face.

"I'm not tricking you, I'm just... worried about you." Harry mumbled.

"Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived and Saviour of the wizarding world, is worried about Draco Malfoy, son of one of the dark lord's most loyal and powerful Death Eaters? Just how stupid do you think I am Potter? How about you just tell me what you're trying to do and what you intend to get out of it and then I can mock your simple-minded scheme and we can get it over with?" Malfoy suggested with half-hearted condescension.

"Why are you so sure this is a trick? I really am just concerned. I know that you're having nightmares and, though I don't know what they're about, I want to help. Considering that you're... well, you, I doubt you've told anyone about it so I just wanted to tell you that i'm here if you need me." Harry explained, a slight blush and defensive tone becoming increasingly evident as he spoke.

'I always need you but not in the way you're suggesting...' Draco thought.

"And what makes you think I need your help Potter?!" Malfoy yelled. Stopping momentarily to regain his composure, he closed his eyes and reminded himself that Malfoys do  **not** yell. He didn't even want to think about what his father would do if he knew he was embarrassing the family even further. Only once he felt he could continue in a way befitting of a Malfoy did he speak again. "Of course, the saviour of the wizarding world has to save everyone. Can't just leave people alone, can you? You have to be the hero and make everyone think you're the best damn person to have ever lived. Well I'm not someone that needs saving and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me the hell alone."

'Please leave. I need to forget you or make myself hate you again and you're making that impossible! Leave! Leave me alone... but I don't want you to leave me. I don't want to be alone again. I want you to stay with me but not the way we are now. You need to leave for your own safety and my sanity. You're not safe around me. I want to protect you but that's just another thing I can't do...'

"I don't help people to make them think highly of me, I do it... to make them happy, I guess. Is your pride and your family name really so important to you that you would refuse help from the only person who even knows there is a problem?" Harry asked, green eyes boring into Draco's silver ones. He stayed silent under the intense of the other boy.

"I'm not saying that we have to become best friends all of a sudden or anything but, if you ever need to talk, come and find me or send me an owl and i'll meet you somewhere, ok? I mean it; any time. I really do just want to help you Draco, no tricks." The black haired boy said softly before walking past the still silent Malfoy, not waiting for an agreement he knew he wouldn't get, and leaving to return to the Gryffindor common room.

With the object of his affection and his biggest weakness gone, Draco walked unsteadily to a nearby wall and slumped down against it. He sat motionless for a minute or two, still taking in the events of the last half an hour or so, before he moved to rest his head on his knees and let a few long overdue tears escape.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry PoV

After a day full of classes and the fact that it was quite late by the time I had finally managed to fall asleep last night, I was very tired by the time we had all gathered in the great hall to hear Dumbledore announce the names of the tri-wizard champions. However, despite my fatigue, the atmosphere in the castle was contagious and I sat in the hall with as much excitement as everyone else. I looked around the hall, searching for white-blonde hair and located the boy sitting at the front of the hall.

Since people in our year were not allowed to enter the tournament, I did not know very many of the students who had put their names in the goblet. I didn't envy the chosen champions in the slightest. They wanted fame and glory but I'm sure that once they get it, it won't be as great as they thought it would be.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the front of the room as Dumbledore stepped up to the goblet and as he spoke the flames began to rise and swirl into patterns. The fire changed colour and it spat out a small piece of paper.

"The Durmstrang champion is... Victor Krum."

Another piece flew from the fire.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is... Fleur Delacour."

The final piece. The Hogwarts champion.

"And the champion for Hogwarts is... Cedric Diggory."

As Dumbledore began walking away and the students started to chatter to each other, the fire once again twisted and rose from the goblet, changing to red and bright purple flames, more violently than the past three times. I knew nothing about the Goblet of Fire or the tri-wizard tournament but I immediately got a bad feeling about this.

Dumbledore walked back to the goblet, clearly suspicious and very confused. As yet another scrap of paper floated down from the goblet, the headmaster almost snatched it out of the air in his haste and he whispered out a name that I couldn't quite hear.

"Harry Potter." His voice rang out clearly through the hall this time.

In utter shock and surprise, I looked around as if expecting someone else to stand and declare themselves Harry Potter and I would remain blissfully uninvolved. Upon realising that this clearly wasn't going to happen, I sat down and tried to hide behind the other students in a pitiful attempt to go unnoticed.

"Harry Potter!" The elderly wizard yelled.

With 'encouragement' in the form of a shove from Hermione behind me and the pressure of everyone's eyes intently focused on me, I shuffled to the front of the room to the accompaniment of accusing whispers. I quickly accepted the scrap of paper held out to me and chanced a glance at Malfoy to gauge his reaction to this unexpected turn of events. He seemed outwardly calm but I could tell that internally he was almost as shocked and confused as I was. I couldn't quite decide if it was better to remain in the great hall with the teachers and the intense stares of jealousy and hatred from the other students or to stand in the other room with the champions sending me angry and suspicious looks and awaiting the bombardment of questions that was sure to happen once the teachers arrived. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind that any of those stares of jealousy and betrayal could be from my friends...

I trudged through the hall and hallway and, reluctantly, entered the room that the other champions were waiting in. As their attention turned to me, I was greatly tempted to just run and not have to hear the inevitable news that I would once again be risking my life this year.

I heard before I saw the teachers enter as the heavy double doors slammed open and they rushed down the steps then I felt my shoulder grabbed and shaken.

"Harry! Did you put your name in the goblet? Tell me honestly Harry, we need to know!" Dumbledore demanded.

"No sir, I didn't! I swear I didn't put my name in!" I answered desperately, hoping that they would not make me participate in the tournament.

Praying to any god that might exist that I could just have one normal year and watch the tournament with the rest of the school and not compete as a champion, I paid little attention to the argument that followed about how I was  **obviously**  lying.

My mind wandered to what participating in the tournament could mean. I'd heard that it's really dangerous ans that people die in it! I tried to reassure myself a little with the knowledge that I'd have Hermione and Ron's support and that, even if we weren't 17 years old, Hermione could probably tell me about any spell I might need. I couldn't convince even myself, however, and was just thankful that i'd have the moral support of my friends and the rest of Gryffindor and, hopefully, Malfoy too. Plus there's always the chance that they will decide i'm too young or that there can't be four champions and then I won't have to do it anyway.

That hope was quickly shattered when I heard Fudge shout "The goblet is a binding contract. He has to take part!"

How was I, at 14 years old, supposed to survive in a tournament restricted to only wizards over the age of 17? How did my name get into the goblet anyway?! Did one of the older students put my name in as a joke, not thinking i'd be chosen or that I wouldn't be allowed to participate if I was.

By the time I started to move out of my thoughts and back into reality, I had found my way back to the Gryffindor tower on autopilot. As I climbed the stairs and went through the portrait hole, trying to ignore the fat lady's awful singing, I was happy that I could finally find Ron and Hermione and talk to them about this whole messed up situation.

Finding no one in the common room, I almost ran up the stairs to the boys' dorm where people were either already asleep or getting ready for bed. Luckily, Ron was not asleep yet.

I sat down on my bed, thinking once again about the tournament when I was brought back to reality by Ron's voice.

"How did you do it?" Without giving me a chance to answer, he continued. ""Never mind, it doesn't matter. Might have let your best friend know though."

"Let you know what?" I asked, baffled that Ron of all people was acting like this. He knew how much I hated all the fame and attention that came with being The Boy Who Lived.

"You know bloody well what." Ron replied moodily.

"I didn't ask for this to happen Ron, ok? You're being stupid." I answered, disbelieving that I was having this conversation with my best friend.

"Yeah, that's me; Ron Weasley – Harry Potter's stupid friend." Ron sulked as he got into bed and lay down. I looked at Neville and Seamus for back-up but received none. They merely looked away, trying not to get involved. Going over to Ron's bed, I tried to explain things to him, to make him understand.

"I didn't put my name in that cup. I don't want eternal glory, I just want to be..." I paused, not really knowing what to say to make him change his mind. "Look, I don't know what happened tonight and I don't know why, it just did, ok?" I said, failing to keep the desperation out of my voice but he lay down, turning his back to me. Exasperated, I returned to my bed and sat down again, hoping that he'll have seen reason by the morning. As I sat there, I heard Ron mutter "Piss off" before laying back down.

Angrily I pulled the covers up to sleep and try to hold back tears that I was so close to shedding as the events of the day caught up to me. After tossing and turning for what must have been at least an hour, maybe two, I pushed back the covers and rummaged in my trunk for my invisibility cloak. Finally finding it under my quidditch kit, I draped it over myself and crept down the stairs, across the common room and through the portrait hole into the castle hallways.


	10. Chapter 10

No PoV

As Draco was in the Astronomy tower, looking up at the stars and enjoying the peace that could only ever be found late at night, the door to his right creaked open, breaking the silence that had settled around him. Spinning around, wand drawn, Malfoy looked confused at the wizard in front of him. Returning his wand to his pocket, he spoke.

"Potter. What are you doing here? Why aren't you out celebrating with the Gryffindors?" He asked a little maliciously but with a trace of genuine curiosity.

"Celebrating? With who? The entire school thinks i've betrayed them in some way, Ron included. Who exactly would I be celebrating with?" Harry snapped, slumping against a wall and looking out at the water around the castle with a foul expression.

"What would I even be celebrating anyway? Right from when the tournament was first announced I said that I did not envy the champions at all. I don't want eternal glory! I just want a normal year at Hogwarts for once!" Harry yelled, tears once again threatening to fall.

Unsure about what to do in this unusual situation, Malfoy moved closer to Harry and sat down beside him. The black haired boy seemed to have forgotten who he was talking to though as he jumped slightly when he saw the blonde sit down. Malfoy didn't say anything so Harry just kept talking.

"I already have fame as 'The Boy Who Lived' and that's bad enough! I hate it!"

"You hate being famous as the only person to have ever survived being targeted by Voldemort? 3 times?" Malfoy interjected, surprise blatantly obvious on his face. He had always thought that Harry loved all the fame, attention and special treatment he got for being The Boy Who Lived. That's what he had always been told and what he'd always believed.

"Of course I hate it! I can never have a regular year at school, everyone expects me to be some amazing heroic person who can do anything and save anyone, people judge and insult me because they've read about me and think they know me as a person and therefore have the right to. People always see me as Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, but never Harry Potter, 14 year old boy. Even Ron and Hermione do it sometimes... Thinking I can do anything because i'm Harry Potter and he's Harry Potter so nothing ever bothers him... things like that. But now I don't even have Ron because he thinks I betrayed him by putting my name in the goblet without telling him even though I didn't put my name in at all! He just won't listen! I don't want to be a tri-wizard champion!" Harry ranted, only now noticing the tears that had managed to escape.

Quickly scrubbing at his eyes and cheeks with his sleeve, he shyly looked over at Malfoy, hoping that he hadn't noticed. Silver eyes were looking straight into emerald and Harry's cheeks gained a bright red tint but he was surprised to see that there was no condescension or mockery in the blonde boy's eyes, only understanding and the ever present sadness. Harry's eyes grew comically wide when Draco reached forward and wiped away the remaining tears from his cheeks with the edge of his school robe sleeve with a small smile playing on his pink lips.

Then Harry saw something change in Draco as he pulled back and stuttered a quick 'We should really be going to sleep now... so good night' before rushing through the door and fleeing back to the dungeons leaving an utterly bemused Harry Potter behind him.

When Draco reached the Slytherin common room, he sat down heavily on the nearest couch and remembered the last hour or so. Things had been going great! He'd been spending time with Harry that didn't involve fighting in any way and the black haired boy had actually been opening up to him. He'd looked so adorable too with tears in his eyes, a shy expression and vibrant blush. And then, of course, it had been ruined. He'd just been gently touching Harry's cheek soft, slightly damp, cheek when he'd had a flashback.

His father yelling, punches and kicks to his fragile body but most vividly his father telling him that he'd heard Draco moaning Harry's name and the agony that had followed. It had only been short flashes but it had been enough to terrify him and make the need to run far away overpowering.

Standing on shaky legs, Draco stumbled to his dorm room, quickly got ready for bed and flopped down onto the mattress. Then curling up and pulling the covers around him, he attempted sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Draco PoV

_~Nightmare~_

_It started out just like the other times so I knew from the start that this would end very badly and very painfully for me._

_I once again woke in the middle of the night to find my father looming over me, a predatory look only too obvious on his face. Having an idea of what might happen this time, unlike the first time when I was caught completely off guard, I made a run for it. Squirming out of my father's weak grasp, I stumbled away from my bed thinking that I had avoided another agonizing encounter._

_That was until a hand roughly grabbed my wrist, pulling me backwards. As my back met the suddenly terrifying expanse of mattress, my mind spun as I thought about every escape route I could from this situation but each solution was dismissed as impossible. I continued to squirm hoping that I could somehow get away. Seeing my struggles, father put my arms in a vice-like grip making it impossible for my much smaller body to overpower him. A smug smile, so similar to my own that it made me feel sick, spread across his face at my helplessness._

_Releasing one of my hands, he reached down and I felt a hand pulling on the waistband of my pyjamas. Realising that I had a free hand, I instinctively swung out at the man on top of me._

_As soon as my hand made contact with father's shoulder I regretted it._

_Now with murderous eyes, my father grabbed my hand and yanked it above my head, bringing the other to join it seconds later. Grasping both of my wrists together on one of his hands, he roughly pulled my pyjama pants off. In a weak attempt to save myself, my legs flailed and struck something solid. I knew that solid thing had been my father when a strong punch impacted with my stomach. I cried out at the pain radiating from my abdomen._

_I looked wildly around for my wand, locating it on the top of a chest of drawers a few metres from the bed – even if I could get one of my hands free, I wouldn't be able to reach it. Realising that there really was no way to escape my father, I felt tears fill my eyes and an involuntary whisper leave my mouth at the hopelessness of the situation. I refused to cry or beg, knowing it would only anger the blonde man more but wasn't sure how long i'd be able to manage it during the pain that was inevitably to come._

_**~Explicit content~** _

_To my great surprise, my father turned me on my back and leaned in so close to me that I could feel his hot breath on my skin and it made me shudder in disgust. His lips made contact with my neck and he began to kiss down the pale skin of my neck, sometimes sucking or licking, until he reached my chest. Then he dragged his tongue down to my right nipple and flicked it with his tongue, sucked and then blew cold air onto the hardened nub. I shivered at the feeling and my father smirked once again. I felt guilt well up inside me as my dick began to harden under father's ministrations. After a little pinching and sucking on my other nipple, he resumed his tongue's journey down my body, over my surely bruised stomach and down to my semi-hard penis. Blowing cold air over the sensitive skin, I saw my father's face once again, smug grin in place._

" _See? I knew from what you must have been dreaming that you're just desperate for a cock up your arse. Look how hard you are for your own father. You fags are all just desperate sluts willing to do anything to get fucked." He sneered._

" _No father! You're wrong! I'm not gay! I can change!" I begged._

" _I'm not wrong and i'm going to give you exactly what you clearly want so badly."_

_The pain that followed was unbearable and I thought I might pass out but I had no such luck. I don't know how long the agony lasted but after a while, I felt a cool hand on my dick, stroking up and down until, against my will, it was hard. I tried to stop it, to make it go away but I couldn't as the hand just kept stroking and as I felt a hot liquid enter my body I came with tears streaming down my face, sobs racking my body and guilt overwhelming me. Only then did I finally fall unconscious._

_**~End explicit content~** _

_~End of nightmare~_

I sat bolt upright, my face wet with tears and the rest of my body drenched in sweat. Leaping out of bed, I grabbed a towel from my trunk and bolted to the nearest bathroom, not caring that it was still the early hours of the morning. I had to wash the dirty feeling off. I refused to cry until i'd reached the privacy of the bathroom and when I reached it I burst through the door, shoved it closed behind me and turned on a shower. Stepping under the spray, I scrubbed frantically at my skin, the tears i'd been holding back falling uncontrollably down my cheeks and mingling with the water running down my body. Flashes of the memory returned to me and I turned the temperature up and scrubbing at my skin until it was raw but still not stopping. I still felt dirty and I could almost feel my father's hands still on me. As I remembered that night, I scrubbed at my neck remembering the mark I had found there when I had finally awoken.

I turned the temperature up more, not even turning it down when it began to burn my skin a little. Leaning against the cold, smooth tiles behind me, I slid down to the ground and wept. I felt sick to my stomach and the intense feelings of self-loathing, guilt and helplessness from that night were resurfacing and overwhelming me.

I'm not sure how exactly how long i'd sat there under the spray of the shower which, by the time I became aware of my surroundings again, had turned cold but too afraid to go back to sleep I had stayed.

Hearing footsteps in the corridor outside the bathroom, I turned off the water and wrapped my towel tightly around myself. Footsteps meant that people were waking up and would soon be coming to the bathrooms so, not prepared to be found sobbing red-skinned on the bathroom floor, I had to get out of there fast. I dried myself off, trying to look at my body as little as possible, and then redressing in my pyjamas before exiting the bathroom and returning to my dorm to change into school robes and be gone before the rest of Slytherin woke up.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry PoV

Having arrived to breakfast earlier than usual, I was already steadily working through the food piled on the numerous plates on the Gryffindor table, when Malfoy walked in. Surprisingly, today it would have been fairly obvious to anyone who looked that there was something wrong with him. His eyes were slightly puffy and red – whether from crying, lack of sleep or both I wasn't sure – and his skin had a very unusual pink tinge to it.

Immediately I was worried. 'Why? Why would I be so worried about Draco Malfoy? He had been my enemy since i'd first met him in the summer before our first year so why am I concerned about him all of a sudden? It must just be because I know about the nightmares now. I know what it's like and that he might need someone to help him with it. Yeah, that must be it. It's perfectly natural to worry about someone when they're having nightmares that are clearly very bad. Only very bad nightmares could affect someone that much, especially Malfoy.' I thought, still watching Malfoy as he walked over to his seat and sat down. He did not put any food on his plate, instead just sitting there quietly and almost motionless staring at a single empty patch of table in front of him with blank eyes. Not the kind of blank when you're not really thinking about anything but completely unnervingly devoid of any emotion and it scared me.

My attention was drawn away from the blonde by the sound of screeching and wings flapping that signalled the arrival of the post. Looking up in awe at all of the different owls swooping around the hall, I almost didn't notice when Hedwig flew in and dropped a small piece of paper next to my plate. I looked at in curiosity for a moment. I hadn't sent any letters recently so I had no idea at all who it could be from. Quickly opening it, I read the text that was written with less elegance than the beautifully flowing script I would usually see from the sender.

_Meet me outside the great hall._

_It's about... the nightmares._

_If you were just kidding about helping me, don't bother but be warned that i'll hex you into next month!_

_Draco Malfoy_

I chuckled a little at the last sentence and how typical Draco it was but turned serious again seconds later. If Draco was actually willingly accepting my help then this might be even worse than I thought. Looking around the hall for the sender, I saw that his seat was empty and the Slytherin was nowhere to be seen.

To his left, Ron had not noticed the note he had received, to focused on shovelling as much food as possible into his mouth as though ti was going to disappear forever any second. Across the table Hermione also seemed oblivious, nose in a book as usual, probably getting started on next term's work or maybe doing some 'light reading' again. Preferring that they stay unaware, I shoved the note in my pocket and muttered a feeble excuse about going to the bathroom before grabbing my bag and leaving the hall in as calm a manner as I could manage.

As soon as I went through the huge double doors of the great hall I saw Draco standing in the hallway, presumably waiting for my arrival. Without saying a word he moved forward, grabbed my arm and dragged me into a vacant classroom a couple of hallways away.

I got a strange feeling as he grabbed my arm but I had no time to analyse it before the other boy closed the door behind us and slumped against it. I could now see the pain, fear and exhaustion that he had been hiding so well in those captivating grey eyes. I could see the emotions he'd been hiding at breakfast and I could kind of understand why he'd been hiding them.

Draco didn't trust anyone enough to be so vulnerable in front of them and, considering all of his friends were Slytherins, I guess I wasn't that surprised. Yet he was showing me this vulnerable part of himself. He was trusting me immensely in this moment and that made me feel a little giddy. Until I remembered the situation at least.

Stepping towards Malfoy to close some of the distance between us, I squatted down, trying to get a better look at him. His skin was still tinted pink and his eyes were puffy and red-rimmed but now they had lost that unnerving blankness they had only minutes ago although it was replaced with nothing good.

Now we were alone, his demeanour had completely changed. The confidence that usually filled everything the blonde did was gone leaving uncertainty in its stead, the characteristic calm had been replaced by panic and even the ever present Malfoy pride seemed to have been discarded in exchange for absolute misery. I was now more determined than ever to find out what could possibly cause such a drastic change in the boy and, since Malfoy had so far been unforthcoming about it, I decided to start.

"So it's about those nightmares, huh?" I asked in the gentlest voice I could muster.

"Yeah. Sorry to bother you. It was a stupid idea! You can just leave... if you want." Malfoy mumbled and I was shocked by the thorough and dramatic personality change I was seeing.

"It's not a bother Malfoy. If I didn't want to help, I wouldn't have offered. So do you want to tell me what the nightmares are about?" I retained the gentle, kind and calm voice I had used a moment ago.

Malfoy had not yet raised his head to look at me but at this point, he lowered it even more. Staring at the ground, tears began to build up in his eyes, probably due to my mention of his nightmares' content, but he didn't let them fall. Realising that this may take a while, I shifted my position to sit on the floor in front of him, still waiting for his reply.

"Well they're not exactly nightmares... They're memories. Nightmares have never actually happened but these things have and it was my fault. I'd really rather not tell you what the memories are of though..." The other boy whispered.

"That's ok. I won't force you to. You can tell me any time if you change your mind." I reassured him. "Did you get any sleep afterwards?"

"No. I woke up really early this morning, probably around 1 or 2am though I didn't check the time, and never went back to sleep. I can't..."

I could easily tell how terrified Draco was by these nightmares/memories by the mere fact that he was telling me this. He had to be really desperate to even consider accepting help from me and even more so to instigate a meeting and not be a complete prat about it.

"Why is your skin pink?"

"You'll think i'm pathetic..." Draco whispered.

"No, I won't. I promise I won't." He still looked skeptical so I added, "You know us Gryffindors could never break a promise."

With a weak smile, he spoke again. "Well, umm... I went in the shower after I woke up to get all the sweat off of me but I couldn't get rid of the horrible dirty feeling clinging to my skin so I tried scrubbing it off and using hot water to get it off but nothing really worked..."

'He did that on purpose?! How could he do that to himself intentionally?!' I thought.

"Is the dirty feeling still there?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to offend him in any way.

"Yeah, It's always there but it's worse after a memory or a flashback..."

"You have flashbacks as well? Like during the day when you're awake?"

"Sometimes."

"And you didn't eat anything at breakfast."

Like a ghost of his usual self, Draco smirked slightly. "You were watching me Potter?"

Blushing a bit, I mumbled a reply. "I was worried about you."

A small smile appeared on the blonde's face, a strange contrast to the trace of tears still in his eyes. "I don't know why."

"To be honest, neither do I. I just know that i'm worried about you, I hate seeing you so upset like this and I want to help you. So that's what i'm going to do in any way I can." I told him honestly. "So why didn't you eat anything?"

"I can't eat after one of those nightmares. Even looking at food makes me feel ill and actually eating it makes me throw up. I tend to have a stomach-ache for most of the day as it is."

Seeing Draco like this and hearing about how he was feeling made me feel a great amount of sympathy for him; not a feeling I had really associated with the posh and spoiled Malfoy heir. I sat down next to him, moved his head to rest on my shoulder and spoke softly to him.

"You can cry if you want to. I won't judge you or tell anyone."

As if those words had flipped a switch, Draco began to cry. Loud sobs ripped through him making his body shake.

**Broken Like An Angel**

We must have stayed there for at least an hour with Draco crying on my shoulder, sobs eventually tapering off into sniffling and the occasional hiccup.

It was at this point, when Malfoy had calmed down considerably, that he seemed to actually realise what was going on. A bright blush covered his face and with wide panicked eyes he scrambled away from me, muttering under his breath. I could only make out some of what he was saying but I was sure I heard 'sorry', 'father' and mostly 'no'. He was repeating no over and over again like a mantra. He didn't actually seem to be looking at me and I couldn't tell what was going through his mind at that moment.

"Malfoy?" I asked tentatively. His eyes seemed to clear and he snapped out of his trance-like state, actually focusing on me now.

"Potter! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry to have bothered you like this; I dragged you away from your breakfast and your friends, just complained and then... cried all over your shoulder... I'm sorry."

Once again the stark difference between the composed, arrogant Malfoy and this vulnerable, terrified Draco hit me. I struggled to persuade my mind that they were in fact the same person.

"Hey Malfoy, there's no need to apologise. You're not bothering me at all. I'm glad you asked to meet me instead of trying to deal with it by yourself." I assured him.

Casting a quick spell, I saw that it was almost lunchtime. "Come on, let's go and get some lunch. You haven't eaten all day and there shouldn't be too many people there yet since most classes won't end on time. Do you think you'll be able to eat something now?" I questioned in concern.

"I might be able to eat a little... Go on ahead and i'll be there in a minute. We don't want to arise suspicion by arriving together and I need to make myself look a but more presentable...Wait, it's lunchtime?!" Malfoy yelled the last sentence making me jump slightly.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm so sorry! I made you miss double potions with Snape. He's going to kill you! I'll... I'll talk to him and see if I can get you out of trouble. This is all my fault." The blonde said dropping his head into his hands in despair and guilt.

"It's fine. I'll probably get a few detentions but it's not like that's anything new. I would probably have gotten a detention if I'd gone to the class anyway so don't worry about it, ok?" I assured him having already hours ago that I was going to miss, or at least be inexcusably late for, potions class. Hopefully Hermione and Ron had made some kind of excuse for me but I was going to have to make up an excuse to tell them.

Standing up, I brushed off my clothes a bit to get rid of any dust from sitting on the floor for hours. It was not necessary though as the floors were kept as immaculate as the rest of the castle. I left the room and made my way to the hall finding it as empty as I had expected. Sitting at the huge Gryffindor table alone I felt a bit lonely but I was more worried about Malfoy.

Said boy walked in a few minutes later. Except for the slight remaining pinkness to his eyes, there was no evidence of the intensely emotional morning I had witnessed and the blank look was back making me feel slightly disappointed at the idea that I had not helped at all.

Looking over at me, Draco's eyes softened just a little and a small, nervous smile appeared on his lips that I couldn't help but return, ignoring the part of my mind telling me that Draco Malfoy, Death Eater's child and my sworn enemy, looked cute.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry PoV

I stared, terrified by the implications of what I was seeing.

"Dragons?! That's the first task?! You're joking..." I hissed at the huge man beside me.

"Come on 'arry. They're seriously misunderstood creatures. Although... I 'ave to admit that Horntail is a nasty piece o' work. Poor Ron nearly fainted jus' seein' 'em." Hagrid said with a slight chuckle.

"Ron was here?" I asked, disbelief and betrayal seeping into my tone.

"Well sure. 'is brother Charlie 'ad ta bring 'em over from Romania. Di'n' Ron tell ya that?"

"No. He didn't. He didn't tell me a thing." I muttered angrily. I knew that Ron wasn't exactly happy with me right now but I wouldn't have even considered that he'd have kept something so important from me.

Hagrid was looking at me in surprise and contemplation, probably not having heard and mine and Ron's... falling out. Hoping that it wouldn't last long, I didn't bother to tell him about it. Not yet at least.

"Well I'd better get going. Don't want to be caught out after curfew." I said, ignoring how pathetic my excuse was and, upon hearing and returning Hagrid's characteristically gruff 'Good night', I slipped the invisibility cloak over my head and walked reluctantly back to the castle. I had wanted to get away from the half-giant so that he wouldn't notice my anger, hurt and betrayal but now I realised that going back to the common room would mean coming face-to-face with the cause of them.

Stopping, I stood in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds not knowing where to go. In previous years, I had always had somewhere to go, be it class, the library or just the common room to find Hermione and Ron, I had never felt this lost. Deciding that this wasn't helping at all, I started walking aimlessly, paying no attention to where my feet were taking me until I found myself in front of a familiar door.

Unwittingly, I had wandered to the Astronomy tower. Pausing for a moment before opening it, I pondered the implications of that. This was the place where I had first met Malfoy alone at the beginning of the year and almost every time after that our little... meetings had been here and, before this year, the tower had held little to no significance to me. Did that mean that it had gained significance and a comforting effect because of Malfoy? It was an absurd thought but considering how this year seemed to be going I really couldn't rule anything out as impossible anymore.

I was participating in the dangerous and potentially deadly tri-wizard tournament, I was helping Draco Malfoy of all people with emotional problems including spending one morning being cried on and I kept getting strange, unknown feelings when I was around Draco, not to mention the weird thoughts about him.

Pushing the troubling notion to the back of my mind for contemplation at a later time, I carefully opened the door and distractedly glanced around the tower. I did a double take as I caught a glimpse of unmistakable platinum blonde hair and pale skin that could only mean... "Malfoy?!"

"Potter. Must you yell at me as soon as you arrive?" The aforementioned blonde spoke coolly reminding me of how he acted around the rest of the school. Was he trying to shut me out again?

"Sorry. You just surprised me is all."

Malfoy visibly relaxed at these words. "Oh ok. I thought you were annoyed that I was here..."He explained, sounding more like he usually did when we were alone together.

'Alone together...' The words resounded in my mind for some reason and, much to my dismay, a faint blush rose up my cheeks. I willed it away before Draco noticed despite the darkness surrounding the castle at this late hour, while seriously questioning my own sanity. 'Why should being alone with Malfoy make me blush?!'

When I felt my face had cooled sufficiently to be considered normal, I made my way over to the other boy and sat down beside him, looking out at the view and speaking before I'd even realised it.

"Actually, I was kind of... hoping you'd be here..." I mumbled while my mind was in chaos. 'Was I?! Is that why I came here without even thinking about it?'

Mesmerising grey eyes that looked almost silver in the moonlight became almost impossibly wide and a slight blush appeared on the blonde boy's face as he stuttered "R-really? W-why?"

"Wanted to talk to you, I guess... I just found out something about the first task of the tournament." I told him, staring resolutely at the ground before me in front of me to avoid the captivating boy next to me but I could still see him in my peripheral vision.

"Oh yeah? What did you find out?" Draco asked, seeming to be a strange combination of worry and excitement as he looked at me.

"Why are you so eager?" I questioned, honestly bemused.

He looked a little guilty as he looked away from me, embarrassed. "I was... ummm... hoping that I could... help you with the tournament... somehow... I was really worried when your name was called out so... I wanted to help you... Sorry. It was stupid. I mean what help would I be anyway? Especially when you have Granger to help you. It was a stupid idea! I'd be of no use." Malfoy was now the one determined to avoid my gaze.

"One; The task is dragons. There is one for each of the champions. Ron knew but he didn't tell me..." What started as a look of worry on Draco's face turned to one of anger and he emitted a quiet growl which confused me but still brought a small smile to my face and I continued. "Two; I'm not entirely sure if I will have Hermione to help me since Ron is ignoring me and I'm not really sure where Hermione stands on the whole situation and three," I paused and lifted a hand to rest gently on Draco's face, turning his head to look at me, "I want you to listen really carefully to this last one. I would love if you would help me. I'm sure your help would be invaluable. Don't say you'd be no use because it's completely untrue. You're one of the most intelligent people I know." I spoke emphatically, trying to make him believe it purely through the strength of my own belief.

His blush had been steadily darkening as I spoke so by this point his entire face could easily have been likened to a strawberry and I couldn't deny that he looked very cute. I could see an internal battle going on behind those steely but surprisingly soft eyes and I couldn't keep up with the flurry of emotion flitting rapidly across his face. Once again, my body bypassed my brain and acted on it's own to gently stroke the blonde's cheek and before I could even react, he had stood up and bolted through the door and away from the tower.

With my hand still raised from touching the Draco's cheek, I sat dumbstruck for several moments before dropping my hand back down to my side and trying to ignore the warm, tingling feeling that it had and the nagging voice in my brain telling me that Draco's skin had been soft and smooth and warm... I mulled over the interaction with Draco. I must have made him uncomfortable... I guess it is weird to go around caressing guys' cheeks... Why did even do it in the first place?! I was just so shocked by the words Malfoy had spoken about himself and I had been desperate to make him see the falseness of them. I hadn't thought about how it might make Malfoy feel... 'Stupid Potter!' I thought to myself, slowly standing and trudging back back to the Gryffindor tower, all thoughts of the tournament temporarily dispelled from my mind.


	14. Chapter 14

No PoV

As Draco saw the familiar head of messy black hair walk over to Weasley, clearly angry, and began yelling, started to mentally prepare himself. Despite their rapid progress behind closed doors, he had to make sure that nothing changed around everyone else.

There was no way of knowing what the consequences of other people knowing about their... friendship(?) would be but Draco was positive it would not be good. Especially depending on who exactly it was that found out... So Draco had to make sure that, by the time Harry reached him, he was fully prepared to act as Malfoy, Potter's enemy. That required insulting the boy he loved, probably hurting the boy he wanted to protect and most likely himself as well and all for the sake of appearances and self-preservation. Cowardly as it was, Draco would rather act like he hated Harry in public than risk facing his father if he found out that he was getting closer to Harry. If he had to endure a repeat of the summer, Draco was not sure he would survive it. The agony was more than he could stand and the emotional pain was even worse. The guilt, shame and misery would probably drive him insane before he died from his injuries. So for his own safety, he was purposely hurting the boy he loved. 'Pathetic...' he thought with disgust.

"Why so tense Potter?" The blonde jeered. Potter just ignored him and continued walking and, as much as he wished he could. Draco couldn't just let him go. Malfoys did not let themselves be ignored.

"My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're going to last 10 minutes in this tournament." Malfoy taunted, jumping down from the tree he had been sitting in and sauntering over to the angry black haired boy.

Honestly, his heart was breaking a little more with each word his own traitorous lips uttered and he was repulsed by the idea of doing such friendly things as gambling with the man who he was reluctantly referring to as his father – only in the most strictly biological sense of the word was that title valid.

"He disagrees. He thinks you won't last 5." The blonde continued, forcing a chuckle and looking away from the boy in front of him to hide the guilt and pain in his eyes at saying these things although, on second thought, perhaps it would be better he see so he would know that these were just lies he was forced to spew to keep up appearances. For him to see this though would be to publicly show weakness which he just couldn't do.

"I don't give a damn what your father thinks Malfoy." Harry spat as though the mere thought of the man left a bad taste in his mouth, shoving the other boy in the chest to emphasise his point. Despite the situation, Draco couldn't deny the pleasant shiver that Harry's touch sent down his spine. "He's vile and cruel. And you're just pathetic."

All the happiness the blonde had gained as Harry had insulted his so-called father vanished. He could see a hint of apology in the other boy's eyes but it did nothing to fend off the hurt and genuine physical pain he felt after hearing his own thoughts confirmed by the one person he had begun to trust. His chest ached like someone was trying to crush his heart and he took a step back, breath hitching for a few seconds before returning erratically. Trying to hold back tears that longed to shed, he forced back the hurt and summoned all the anger he could find.

"Pathetic..." Malfoy finally managed to mutter, drawing his wand to send a mild curse to the source of his current distress but his attention was drawn away from the messy haired boy by yelling nearby and the next thing he knew the world was bigger and was moving rapidly up and down around him. He couldn't understand what exactly was going on.

"I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned." Mad Eye Moody, who was now in front of him, said.

After that Draco paid no attention to the deputy headteacher, panic beginning to take over his senses. Then he watched in dread as Moody, pulled the front of a boy's (he thought it was Goyle but, in his current situation, didn't really care) trousers and levitated him in. The panic started to overwhelm him as he saw himself fall past pants and bare legs. His vision was going a little blurry and his breathing had sped up to almost hyperventilation. 'Is this what a panic attack feels like?' He wondered briefly. Bits of memories began to swim around in his head; yelling, pain, guilt, shame and self-loathing fought for space in his mind.

Then suddenly he could feel cool air on his overheated skin and his head snapped up. Students were standing around him, laughing and pointing. He felt thoroughly humiliated. Making one last ditch attempt to retain some semblance of dignity, he shouted "My father will hear about this!" Honestly, he prayed to any god there may be that the elder Malfoy never heard anything about this. Seeing Moody move towards him, the usually pristine boy tried to run around the tree he had previously be perched in so calmly only to be caught by a hand gripping painfully tight around his wrist. Then hot, disgusting breath in his ear and a hissed warning that made his skin crawl and his heart almost beat out of his chest before he escaped and ran like his life depended on it.

He heard the former Auror yell "I could tell you stories about your father that could curl even your greasy hair, boy!" and just kept running. Running away from the humiliation and the laughter, the panic and fear and mostly away from the people who had seen him so weak. But he couldn't escape the humiliation and fear... and the memories...Only once he had reached the Astronomy tower, the place he felt safest in the whole school, and closed the door firmly behind him did he slump down against the wall and even begin to consider the words Moody had spoken.

" _Don't forget that your father knows what you do at school. He has... connections. Lucius thinks Harry Potter is getting far too close to finding out your... little secret. The Dark Lord isn't happy about it."_

Draco would never forget the first time he had heard that warning from his father...

**Broken Like An Angel**

After Draco had run away from them, the crowd had dispersed and Moody ordered Harry to follow him. Almost jogging to keep up, the boy followed him to what he supposed was the ex-Auror's office though his thoughts were still with Malfoy. At first Harry had h found it kind of funny when the Slytherin had been turned into a ferret but then he remembered that, despite the act, that was not the arrogant, cruel and absolutely infuriating Malfoy who probably deserved such treatment. Malfoy had changed and the miserable, haunted, self-conscious Draco certainly didn't deserve it. This new Malfoy needed support, comfort and reassurance that Harry intended to give him though he still couldn't understand why he wanted to help him so much. Lost in thought, he almost didn't notice that they had arrived at their destination.

The room was relatively small and quite gloomy even though it was still rather bright outside. The weather would soon start to worsen as they got closer to winter and he absent mindedly realised that Moody would probably need some candles once winter weather really set in.

As Moody started to talk, Harry tried to focus on the first task and how he was going to deal with a dragon. He'd been trying not to think about it, which had proved reasonably simple with the effective distraction of a certain blonde haired Slytherin, because, quite frankly, he had no idea what to do and every time he thought about it he panicked. How was he, a 14 year old boy, supposed to defeat a dragon?! None of the spells he had learnt so far would work. He had considered a spell such as Petrificus Totalus but there was a high chance that it wouldn't work for such a large creature as a dragon. Harry turned his attention back to what Mad-eye was saying, knowing that it might be important to both completing the task and to actually surviving it.

Moody was talking about playing to his strengths but the only thing that came to mind was his skill at Quidditch though he couldn't see how that would help him and told the man so. He laughed at the boy's apparent naivete and proceeded to tell him about a spell called Accio. It sounded like a great spell and Harry was sure it would be very helpful but he didn't have the time, patience or concentration to listen to him explain it. He was sure that Draco was more upset than he had let on and he had an undeniable urge to find him. He quickly told Mad-eye that he would research the spell in the library and teach himself and that he would ask if he had any questions and was excused from the dreary office.

**Broken Like An Angel**

With a cloudy mind, Draco emerged from his memory to find himself standing in front of the railing and leaning dangerously far over it. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there yet he wasn't surprised. As the thought about it, it started to make more and more sense. No one wanted him at Hogwarts and no one would care if he wasn't there anymore and there was nowhere else he could go. All that he would find at home was his father's abuse and his mother's feeble attempts at caring for him. It would be so simple to lean a little bit further and then just let go. Only once or twice before had he considered suicide, usually after a particularly brutal beating or rough... session with his father as a way to escape the pain and stop it happening again, but now that he was there and it would be so easy he found it a difficult temptation to resist. He wondered why he was trying to resist it at all when messy black hair and captivating emerald eyes entered his mind.

Harry. Would Harry care if he toppled over this railing and fell to his death on the ground below? They had been getting on better but that didn't mean that he would actually be bothered if the blonde was not around anymore. They probably weren't close enough that he would find it at all difficult to forget about him. He knew he'd been in love with Harry for a while now but he also knew that Harry didn't feel the same way about him so was it really worth continuing his horrible life for him? Just to be around him without an actual relationship?

The feeling of strong arms wrapping around his waist and tugging him backwards pulled him out of his thoughts. He was dragged a few feet away before the arms retracted and left him wanting them back though a hand remained on his arm. Regardless of the fact that he already knew who it was (only one person could cause that warm and tingly feeling wherever he touched), he turned to face the other boy and saw that there was a slight pink tinge to his cheeks and his breathing was unusually quick but it did nothing to decrease his attractiveness. The messy black hair and bright green eyes that had been in his thoughts were right in front of him, their eyes meeting as he turned.

"What are you doing here?" Draco breathed, unable to think properly under the intense stare of those mesmerising eyes.

"I had a feeling something was wrong so I got away from Moody as soon as I could and ran here. Just in time by the looks of things. What the hell were you doing?!"

'So that's why he's out of breath...' Draco thought offhandedly.

"Nothing... Just... looking at the view." The blonde mumbled.

"The only view you'd have from there is of the grass!" Harry yelled and Draco winced slightly at his raised voice. Seeming to notice this, the Gryffindor lowered his voice and calmed down. "Is it to do with the nightmares?"

Searching his face for traces of anger or any other emotion that might mean he was trying to trick him then, finding only kindness, nodded slowly.

"Can you please tell me what they're about? It'll be good for you to tell someone and i'll be able to help you better if I know what the problem is."

After the flashback he had just had, the feelings of paranoia had become stronger again making Draco even more unsure about telling Harry.

"I can't... He'll know... And then it will happen all over again." He stuttered, fear evident in his voice.

"No it won't. Hogwarts is the safest place for you. Nothing will happen to you because I won't let it. I won't let anyone hurt you Draco." Harry enthused. Draco thought his heart might have stopped beating for a moment before it started trying to beat right out of his chest. His eyes went wide and his face went bright pink as he took in what Harry had said and repeated it over and over in his mind trying to remember it forever. He couldn't remember his name ever sounding so good when spoken by anyone else.

"You promise?" Draco asked shyly, feeling very childish but not caring.

A brilliant smile spread across Harry's face and he lightly ruffled the boy's soft blonde hair making said blonde's blush darken and his feeling of childishness increase tenfold yet he couldn't stop the fluttering feeling in his stomach despite the slight fear that remained in his mind. "I absolutely promise that I, Harry Potter, will not let anything or anyone hurt you, Draco Malfoy." He spoke very formally, making it sound like an official vow.

Immediately, he felt safer. If Harry Potter, the boy who lived and the boy he loved, said he'd protect him, what could possibly hurt him? He was sure that as soon as he left the other boy's presence he would feel in danger again but in this moment with Harry still touching his arm and vowing to protect him, he felt completely safe.

"It's... my father. He's always been quite strict and he uses... physical punishment to correct my behaviour but this summer... it got worse. He... He..." Draco couldn't say it. It was too hard to admit that he had been defiled, emotionally tortured and broken. He couldn't tell Harry he had been raped. Despite all that he had been through with the Dark Lords so far, Harry was still innocent and Draco didn't want him to know that he was tainted. He didn't want Harry to know that his innocence had been ripped from him. If he knew, he'd be disgusted and then this strange friendship they had would vanish.

As if reading his mind, Harry moved closer to him and reassured him. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm not going to just abandon you no matter what you say."

Once again searching the other boy's eyes for any trace of deceit and finding none, Draco took a deep breath in and began to speak again. "Over the summer, my father... he raped me." The blonde mumbled, looking resolutely away from the black haired boy. He didn't think he could bare to see the hatred, pity and disgust. He was shocked to feel arms wrap tightly around him in an embrace. Panic rose up for a second or two before he reminded himself that this was not his father. His father would never hug him so comfortingly or hug him at all really. This was Harry Potter, the boy he loved. The panic ebbed slowly away and Draco revelled in the feeling of being hugged by Harry.

"Oh Draco, i'm so sorry. How could he do that?! The sick bastard! Next time I see him, I'm going to kill him!" Harry growled and Draco felt panic rise up again.

"No! You can't! He'd know that I told you! He can't find out that you know! That's why I didn't want to tell you. Father has ways of knowing what's happening in this school. He told me before the term started that he'd know exactly what I was doing this year... It's my fault anyway so there's nothing you can do about it. He raped me as punishment so I deserved it every time..."

"Every time? This happened more than once?! Don't say it's your fault! This couldn't possibly be your fault. Nothing you could ever do would make rape a suitable punishment. Ever. What did he tell you'd done wrong?" Harry demanded.

Still keeping his gaze anywhere but on Harry, Draco yet again mumbled an answer, uncomfortable with how this conversation was going. He was telling the black haired boy far too much. "It's because... I'm gay."

"You're gay?" The other wizard repeated and the blonde tried to prepare himself for what was almost definitely coming. "That's it?! That is absolutely not a reason to rape someone! That's absolutely ridiculous! It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, rape is rape and rape is illegal." Harry stated his tone leaving no room for argument.

Unbeknownst to him, while Draco was enjoying the closeness they had at that moment and the utterly euphoric feeling of having shared his biggest and darkest secret and having been accepted by the guy he loved, Harry was absolutely livid. How dare Lucius rape his own son and then somehow brainwash him into thinking that it was his own fault just for being who he is! There were no words to explain how angry he was right now and it took all of Harry's willpower not to go and hunt the elder Malfoy down right now and slaughter him – with his bare hands, no magic. He could scarcely imagine what the summer must have been like for Draco; beatings, rape and even just living with the seemingly distant and cold Malfoys generally. He was pulled from his musings by a hesitant voice from very close to him.

"Harry. Harry! You're squashing me. Can you please hug me a little less tightly please?" Draco whined and Harry realised that his thoughts had led him to almost suffocate the other boy. Letting go completely, he moved back slightly, apologising all the while.

"We should probably head back to our dorms now anyway. It'll be time for dinner soon and we shouldn't show up together." The blonde said, a little forlorn at the idea of leaving Harry's side. With Harry he was safe – he had promised to protect him – but away from it, that feeling of safety and warmth left him with only guilt, anxiety and emptiness. Then something occurred to him. "You won't tell anyone about this, right?" He pleaded.

"Of course not! I'll take it to my grave if that's what you want!" Harry replied, dismayed at the mere notion.

The idea of Harry's death made Draco feel cold and miserable but he pushed it aside; Harry was fine and standing right there in front of him. "Thank you." He said with a sigh of relief.

"Well I guess I'll see you later then." The black haired wizard said awkwardly before turning and walking away.

"Yeah, see you." Draco replied, slightly glumly. 'Really soon, I hope...'


	15. Chapter 15

Draco PoV

Every time it started the same way – my father waking me in the middle of the night, looming above me and I struggled but it proved futile – and every time my resistance became weaker. My nightmare was fragmented but it was enough. I would be in one memory for a while before switching to another, a montage of beatings with the occasional rape thrown in, but one memory stood out more to me and was more vivid than any other.

_~Draco's nightmare~_

_The entire nightmare so far had just been an onslaught of pain. Punches, kicks and insults were flashing before my eyes and taking a toll on my body despite them only being memories. Then there was a brief reprieve and I wasn't sure whether that was better or worse. My father's face appeared above me and I knew that it was going to be bad._

_Trying to wriggle away from the elder Malfoy was pointless and just left me more exhausted and vulnerable so I didn't bother to struggle as he pulled off my pyjama bottoms and his own. It was almost as though I was resigned to this being my fate for the next few weeks until I could finally return to the relative safety of Hogwarts. My father, however, took my lack of resistance as sign of consent._

_**~Explicit content begins here~** _

" _Not even going to try to fight me tonight Draco?" He taunted. "Your co-operation does take a bit of the fun out of it but I knew you enjoyed it really. You were just pretending to struggle until now to make me think you weren't a little faggot but you can't pretend anymore, can you? You're a little slut." My father sneered as he moved even closer to me and tears filled my eyes. I had been a virgin until the beginning of the summer._

_There was no warning before he entered me causing pain to radiate through my body and I was almost positive I was being torn in two. I heard moans and grunts making me feel sick._

" _I wonder how many other guys' cocks you've had up your arse." The other blonde whispered, his face so close that his hot breath hit my skin and made me shudder. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I couldn't stop the sobs that I emitted._

" _Stop crying!" Father growled. "You're pathetic..." He emphasised his point with a particularly violent thrust, harder and deeper than before, that touched something inside me and I let out a quiet involuntary moan before I could stop it. As shame overcame me, I covered my mouth quickly with both hands. I didn't dare let my father hear any more sounds from me as I began to cry more and my vision became blurry from tears._

" _You like that? Are you imagining it's your precious Harry Potter fucking you right now? Is that why you're moaning Draco?" My father ridiculed. Knowing that any answer I gave would only make things worse I just kept my hands firmly clamped over my mouth, tears still flowing down my face. As the older man's pace increased I screwed my eyes tightly shut tried to imagine that this wasn't happening, that I was anywhere but here, but the pain couldn't be ignored and the heat in my backside as my father climaxed inside me was a sensation I would never be able to forget._

_**~End of explicit content~** _

_~End of Draco's nightmare~_

I jerked awake and sighed heavily in relief to find myself in my dorm room at Hogwarts. My face was wet from crying in my sleep and I could still feel a twinge of pain in my lower back and arse from the memory.

I remembered what my father had said that night - "Are you pretending it's your precious Harry Potter fucking you right now?" I had considered it a few times. I thought that maybe if I thought about Harry, I wouldn't feel so horrible and... dirty, but I had never done it. If I imagined it was Harry, it would taint his pureness and innocence and besides, I did not want to associate Harry with a humiliating, disgusting and agonising experience like that. I hated the idea of pretending it was Harry causing me so much pain and, although there was a chance it would make it feel good, it wasn't a chance I was willing to take. Anyway, I didn't even want to consider what my father would do if he thought I enjoyed it...

Changing quickly into clothes and grabbing a towel, I sneaked into a bathroom that I was fairly sure was for prefects only but at 2am I was fairly sure no one would be awake to care. There was a large, grand bath in the room which reminded me a little of the baths at Malfoy Manor. Forcefully pushing all thoughts of the manor out of my mind, I turned on the many taps and removed my clothes a little hesitantly. Slipping quickly into the perfectly heated water, I let out a sigh and felt myself relax. I had never really been self-conscious about my appearance until this year. I had known I was good looking and was confident about my looks but now... I knew I was still a handsome boy but when I looked at myself, all I saw was the resemblance between myself and my father. The platinum blonde hair, arrogant smirk, sharp grey eyes and pale skin all reminded me of him. And, with all the similarities, I was willing to bet that when other people looked at me all they saw was him too. I'm "Lucius' son" or "the Malfoy heir" and I hated the idea that people thought I was anything like him.

As my thoughts drifted in that direction, I found myself becoming angry and noticed that I was scrubbing hard at the pale skin I shared with my father, trying to rid myself of the lingering feeling of his touch. I washed my hair and dunked my head under the water, taking childish pleasure in the way sounds became distorted and muffled even though the night was already silent.

Emerging from the water, I stood abruptly and wrapped my towel around my body, stepped out of the bath and dried off then got dressed again. I thought that a walk might take my mind off the nightmare so I let my feet guide me and just strolled around the castle hallways. Even Filch and Mrs. Norris were asleep at this time so I paid little mind to getting caught and enjoyed the peace and quiet that could not be matched at any other time of the day than the very early hours of the morning.

When I reached a wall, I stopped, surprised by where I had ended up. In front of me was the slumbering portrait of a fat lady which guarded the Gryffindor tower. After standing bemused for a few minutes, I walked over to the wall and sat down with my back against it. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I tried to persuade myself that I was only waiting here for Potter because I had happened to be here and it was certainly not because I wanted him to miraculously know that I was here and come out to comfort me but I couldn't manage to make myself believe it. Deciding that I was here now so it didn't matter the reason, I turned my thoughts to other matters.

'Think about good things... Like Harry. Yes, think about Harry.'

One of the things I loved about Harry was that, even though he had met my father, when he saw me, it actually felt like he was seeing me, not my father, me. Even if until this year those looks had been of anger and suspicion, at least they were emotions aimed at me. Now those looks were of kindness and concern and that only made me love him even more. Images of bright emerald eyes and messy, but surprisingly soft, black hair sprung to his mind and, feeling much more calm and even slightly happy, I didn't realise I had done a very stupid thing and fallen asleep.

**Broken Like An Angel**

From the throes of a restless, but mostly memory-free sleep I was suddenly woken by quiet callings of "Malfoy" accompanied by light shaking. There was a figure crouched in front of me and I blinked a few times to get rid of the post-sleep blurriness in my vision. With new-found clarity, I could see that the person before me was none other than Harry Potter – his hair was a little neater than usual, having probably only just been brushed and having not yet been subjected to the trials of the day making me want to reach out my hand and mess it up and his eyes were a little clouded by residual sleepiness that dimmed the usual bright enthusiasm in the emerald green. This made him wonder what time it was. It wasn't particularly light in the castle but in a huge structure like Hogwarts castle, there was always a slight darkness to the place because the sheer size meant that, except on an exceptionally sunny day, no number of windows could completely illuminate it without the help of magic.

"Wha' time's it?" I slurred, still half-asleep and therefore slightly inarticulate.

Chuckling a little, most likely at my dishevelled, non-Malfoy appropriate appearance, he replied. "It's about 5:30am. What are you doing here Malfoy?" I was disappointed by the return to surname-basis and mentioned as much.

"Oh, I guess it's just a habit. Sorry Draco. You still haven't told me why you're here?" He emphasised my name sending a small shiver down my spine.

"Umm... I'm not really sure. I had a nightmare again so I took a bath and then just wandered around because I didn't want to go back to sleep. Somehow I ended up here and must have fallen sleep... If it's 5am now then that was about 3 hours ago. Hang on, why are you up at 5 in the morning and where on earth are you going this early?" I asked bemused.

"I was... going to the library. You know the tournament?" I gave a quick nod in confirmation. How could I forget such a thing? "Well Moody spoke to me yesterday and we talked about my plan, or lack of, for the first task. Then he told me about a spell that could help me so now I need to go and research it." Harry explained.

"Oh, I see. What spell is it?" I asked wondering if I knew about it and could help. I also wanted to check what Moody had said; after yesterday I was very suspicious of him.

"It's called Accio. Have you heard of it?" He replied eagerly.

"I think I've heard of it.. It's a summoning spell, right? Brings an object to you?" He nodded, excited and I couldn't help noticing how cute he looked. "I've heard about it but unfortunately I don't know it." When his expression turned disappointed I felt terrible. "I'm sorry." I mumbled, angry at myself for disappointing Harry. He looked up in surprise.

"Hey, you don't need to apologise Draco. I didn't really expect you to know it. If you want to help, you can come with me to the library with me and help me find out about it. If you want to that is."

I was so happy about Harry's invitation to help him that I had to refrain from leaping forward and wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. Instead I settled for a big smile and a hasty "Sure!" I saw a slight blush tint the other boys cheeks and looked at him in confusion but he offered no explanation.

"Well let's go then." He said standing up straight and holding out a hand to pull me up which I accepted immediately and that increasingly familiar warm, tingly feeling once again made itself known. We began to walk through the corridors in companionable silence but it was soon broken by the black haired wizard.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" He asked, kindly.

I considered this for a moment and figured that since he already knew there was no harm in it. I wouldn't give him details of course but I guessed talking about it might help a bit.

"I guess... It was like a video montage of all my worst memories but instead of watching it, I was back in the memories. It was mostly just beatings from over the years but then there was one really vivid one. That one was a... you know..." I summarised, not wanting to have to actually say the word.

"A rape Draco. You can say it, I already know." As soon as he said it I was looking around frantically to make sure there was no one around; no people or portraits. Thankfully everyone was still asleep, or not here at least. "Well I won't ask what happened in that memory unless you want to tell me but I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you to tell me." He told me softly.

"It started the same way as every other time, with my father waking me up in the middle of the night, kneeling over me. That was when I knew it wasn't just going to be another memory of a beating... I didn't even fight back very much because it was about 2 or 3 weeks into the holidays and I'd learned by then that struggling was useless. I wish I had fought back though... My co-operation made him think that I... liked it. He thought I consented to it! It seemed so hopeless at the time but I should have done everything I could to get away even if it made no difference..." I lamented. Stepping in front of me as we reached the library stairs, Harry effectively stopped me from progressing any further.

"Don't blame yourself Draco. There was absolutely nothing you could have done. Your father is an older, stronger and more powerful wizard than you are at the moment and he took advantage of that so you are not even slightly at fault for not being able to get away from him. The entire blame is on your sick bastard of a father for making you have to try to in the first place." He told me with confidence before grabbing my hand and pulling me into a gentle embrace.

My heart sped up and I thought I might forget to breath at the feeling of being held in Harry's arms like I had dreamed of for so many months, more so than ever over the last 2 months. Then, too soon for my liking, he stepped back but the tentative connection of our hands remained unbroken. Using our linked hands, Harry led me up the stairway to the library while blissfully unaware of the effect it was having on me. My face was aflame, my stomach felt all fluttery and my thoughts were in turmoil.

When he finally let go of my hand leaving it feeling cold, we spent hours searching the desolate library for information about the Accio charm. Having started so early we had a long time before we were expected in the great hall for breakfast which was served later on weekends. A few hours later, at what was probably around 8am judging by the odd student that would stroll in looking like they were going to fall asleep any second, Harry yelled out "Hey, I think I've got something!" excitement obvious in his voice. Following the sound through the aisles of bookshelves I found the black haired boy eagerly scanning through a page in a book. Walking briskly over to him, I peered over the side of the book to see what was written there. Harry was right about the book; it would be very useful.

Smiling, I told him so and he smiled back with a tinge of relief at having finally found something.

"I'll check it out and then we can go grab some breakfast. Do you think you'll be able to eat today?" He asked with concern and it occurred to me that most of the sickness I had felt had been left at the Gryffindor tower as soon as I had laid eyes on Harry that morning. My eyes widened in surprise and my jaw slackened a little until I composed myself enough to reply.

"Actually, yes, I think I might." A smile spread across my face and was met by a smile on Harry's pink lips in response.

**Broken Like An Angel**

After breakfast, we found an empty classroom and read through the passage pertaining to Accio in an attempt to learn how to cast it. According to the book, it required an arc shaped wand movement and the caster to picture the object they wished to summon in their mind for long range use. Breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen on the room, Harry spoke, making Draco jump slightly at the abruptness.

"Where was your mother this summer?"

"Umm... at Malfoy manor. Why?" I asked, not understanding his line of inquiry.

"If your mother was there all summer, why did she not do anything about the rapes? Actually, why didn't she stop Lucius hitting you in the first place? Does she seriously agree with beating a child?!" He demanded, his voice rising in volume as he spoke.

"No! Say what you like about my father but don't speak ill of my mother." I admonished with strength that surprised both the boy in front of me, whose eyes widened, and myself.

"Ok, calm down Draco. I'm sorry, alright?" I nodded lightly, self-conscious after my little outburst. "So why didn't your mother stop it?" He asked more patiently this time.

"Mother doesn't know about the... rapes." I whispered, secretly a little proud of myself for finally calling it what it was. "She used to try to stop the beatings but then father would beat her as well as me but she tried anyway. She only stopped when I begged her to. There was no sense in us both getting hurt when it need only be one. Ever since then she's always carried me to bed when I fell unconscious and tending my wounds when my father was finished with me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know or I would never have said anything to insult her." The black haired boy said regretfully not knowing that I had already forgiven him.

"You couldn't have known. I forgive you and hope you will do the same for my yelling at you."

"Of course I forgive you." Harry said with a gentle smile that I returned and then we both began trying the charm again.

A little while later though, I spoke again, cautiously broaching the subject we had previously dropped.

"At first, I really was glad that my mother had stopped intervening and that she was safe now but after while... I still feel really guilty about it but, despite the fact that I was the one to persuade her to stay out of it, I'd sometimes feel angry and resentful towards her for not standing up for me or saving me from it all. I know that's terrible and selfish and I'm the worst son in existence but I couldn't help it! Sometimes I felt jealous of her too; roaming the halls without fear and living peacefully without the almost constant pain of injuries both new and slightly older..."

I felt tears begin to build up in my eyes but I refused to let them fall, blinking rapidly in an attempt to make them go away before they could be shed.

"Draco, look at me." Harry said softly and I complied. "It's not something you should feel guilty about. Anyone would be angry if there was someone so close but no help arrived. It was very noble and considerate of you to tell your mother not to intervene to protect her. I think that makes you an amazing son. It's perfectly normal to feel jealous of what other people have when it's something you desperately want." The other boy spoke wisely and I got the impression he was speaking from experience but didn't dig any deeper.

"Thank you Harry." I breathed, though I was sure it couldn't even begin to convey my gratitude to the boy.

"Anytime Draco." He replied smiling and, unlike anyone else, I actually believed he meant it. It was with a feeling of genuine happiness that I turned my attention back to preforming the charm, both of us knowing the possible consequences if we didn't learn it in time.

Our next interruption was not until I saw a chair on the opposite side of the room moving steadily across the floor accompanied by a quiet scraping noise as the legs dragged across the stone floor. Looking over, I saw that Harry was grinning.

"I finally did it! Draco, I did it!" He was literally bouncing up and down in glee which was absolutely adorable. Next thing I knew the black haired boy had leapt forward and enclosed me in an exuberant hug then, realising what he'd done, quickly backed up apologising profusely with flushed cheeks.

"'S'ok." I mumbled, my cheeks a similar shade of pink. "Well done but I think we best go to lunch now. Bye." I said quickly and then hurried out of the room leaving a rather confused Harry Potter behind and not hearing when he yelled that they had missed lunch a few hours ago.


	16. Chapter 16

No PoV

Pacing around the champions' tent, Harry couldn't deny that he was panicking although he actually thought that he'd be mad not to under these circumstances.

He was about to battle a dragon with only simple spells to save him. Harry had been practising Accio as much as possible and was quite good at it now but he still couldn't stop his mind wandering to all of the things that could go wrong. What if the spell didn't work from so far away? He had tried it from a distance before but not as far away as he was now. What if it worked but it took too long and the dragon had killed him before his broom even reached him? He had no back-up plans and none of the other spells he knew would be of any use.

Harry was pulled out of his own traitorous thoughts by a sound somewhere beside him.

"Psst!" There it was again. Looking around himself in confusion he saw the tent wall next to him move a little and he walked closer to it.

"Harry? Is that you?" Whispered a voice he immediately recognised.

"Yeah."

"I was just, you know, nearby and I thought I'd... see how you're doing." The voice mumbled nervously.

"Do my ears deceive me or do I detect worry in your voice Draco?" The black haired boy teased despite his own nervousness.

"N-no! Of course not!" The blonde stuttered and Harry could imagine the blush that would undoubtedly be present on Malfoy's face.

"No need to lie Draco. I'm happy that you care enough to worry." Harry said with a genuine smile one his face and an unidentifiable fluttering in his stomach and that felt somewhat different than the stomach-turning fear he had been feeling before.

"Fine... but don't tell anyone! I'd never live it down if anyone knew I was worried about Harry Potter..." Draco grumbled and the youngest Hogwarts champion was once again struck by how cute he suddenly thought the other boy was.

Just then Rita Skeeter, that lying bitch, two ministry workers whose names Harry thought to be Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, and the headteachers of the three competing schools entered the tent and Harry knew he had to get Draco to leave before he was seen.

"Draco, you have to go now. We definitely don't want to end up in the Daily Prophet." Harry said regretfully, slightly wishing the Slytherin didn't have to leave and then wondering why he was thinking like that recently.

"Oh... ok. Good luck. I'm going to be pretty pissed off if you die so you'd better not." Malfoy whispered, trying to hide the concern in his voice, before turning and walking away to join the rest of the spectators. Harry also turned and walked over to join the other tri-wizard champions feeling happier than he had before. It wasn't the most conventional way of saying it but he knew that that was Draco's way of showing that he was concerned and was going to be cheering him on even if it wasn't as publicly as other people.

As the ministry officials talked, Harry became more and more panicked and, before he knew it, he was holding a small Hungarian Horntail dragon in his hand and he felt like he was going to be sick.

**Broken Like An Angel**

As Draco Malfoy took a seat among the other Slytherins, he couldn't believe how worried he was. He had never worried so much about a person before and he felt as though he was actually falling more in love with Harry every day and it scared him a little how strong his feelings for the black haired, green eyed boy were becoming. But not as scared as he was at this moment, waiting and waiting for Harry to come into the arena and fight a dragon while he could do nothing but sit helplessly, hoping for his safety and watch. The mere thought of Harry dying left him feeling cold, empty and miserable so he could scarcely imagine how it would feel if it really happened.

Determinedly turning his attention back to the tournament he told himself over and over that Harry Potter would not die so easily. He had faced Voldemort a few times now and he was still alive and healthy which was more than could be said for anyone else. Plus, Harry had been practising Accio a lot so it would be ok. 'Everything will be fine.' He reassured himself.

He watched distractedly as the three other champions fought their respective dragons using spells that even he hadn't heard of and he was sure Harry wouldn't have. Then it was Harry's turn.

As the dragon was brought in, Draco could tell they had saved the worst for last. Spikes covered a large percentage of it's body and it was flicking its wings every now and then in agitation. It was definitely going to fight back and, for Harry to get the egg, he was going to have to fly damn fast to get past it. It blew out a fireball to signal its impatience and the blonde's heart was pounding as Harry stepped hesitantly into the arena, not yet seeing the dragon that was out of his field of vision. Clearly thinking that perhaps he would be lucky, the black haired wizard made a break for the golden egg but was thwarted by the dragon moving in front of it.

Turning and sprinting in the other direction, he hid behind a pile of large rocks, only just dodging a fireball. The blonde boy saw the other cast the Accio charm and breathed a small sigh of relief but he knew it was still not over.

Narrowly missing more fire, Harry was taking refuge behind the rocks and Draco could barely withstand his anxiety as everyone watching waited to see what the young wizard would do next. Suddenly, everyone looked around to find the source of the rapidly approaching whooshing sound. Harry's Firebolt was flying by itself through the air towards its owner and, as soon as it was near enough, Harry ran forward and leapt onto his broomstick. This display was met with loud applause and Draco took the opportunity to heave a loud sigh of relief which went unheard through the commotion.

Then disaster struck. The chain snapped.

Suddenly everything was too loud and breathing was too hard as the dragon beat his wings furiously, escaping his restraints, and took off forcefully from the ground to fly quickly after the rapidly receding figure of Harry.

A shocked silence settled over the arena as the magnitude of the situation registered in everyone's minds; there was very dangerous dragon flying around chasing down Harry Potter. With the crowd left speechless, the silence remained although the erratic and almost deafening beating of Draco's heart made him doubt that it really was quiet at all. He was certain the entire stadium could hear his heart beating against his ribcage and his laboured breathing around the lump in his throat and the churning in his stomach.

Only minutes past but to Draco they felt like hours until Harry finally came back into view. He was met with an uproar of cheering as people were finally reassured that he was alive and that the dragon had not in fact burned him to a crisp or eaten him. Swooping down to pick up the golden egg, Harry had a triumphant grin on his face as he hurried out of the arena and back to the champions tent leaving Malfoy to try to calm his racing heart.

**Broken Like An Angel**

On his return to Gryffindor tower, Harry was greeted like a hero. There were already celebrations underway and he had a tough time ignoring the envy he felt towards the rest of the students who could just watch the events like an exciting sport and then celebrate the victory like it was their own. He was relieved and quite happy that the first task was over but he knew that this was just the beginning and he couldn't have done it without Draco Malfoy. It must have been brilliant for them but, for Harry, it was hell. All he wanted to do now was see Draco then sleep for a week... but he was hoisted up onto two people's shoulders and he realised he was going to have to entertain the crowd of Gryffindors for a while before he could escape.

They all wanted him to open the egg and he was curious about the clue but had planned on opening it in a more private, quiet place than this. He could just open it again he guessed. He had actually wanted to ask Malfoy for his opinion on it once he's opened it. He figured that the blonde would be quite a big help in understanding the clue, whatever it may be.

Encouraging the crowd, Harry made them cheer before finally twisting the catch at the top of the golden egg. It emitted an ear-piercing screech and the black haired boy felt himself being dropped to the floor as he tried to quickly clap his hands over his ears while simultaneously fiddling with the clasp in an attempt to shut off the shrill, deafening sound. He eventually found it and a blissful silence fell over the common room. For a few seconds at least.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" All eyes in the room turned to the entrance to the tower where a nervous but angry Ron Weasley was standing.

"Alright everyone, go back to your knitting. This is going to be uncomfortable enough without all you nosy sods listening in." In a different situation Harry would have laughed at the Weasley twins but this seemed serious.

As Ron tried to apologise, Harry couldn't help still being mad at him. Supposedly, the ginger boy was his best friend but for him to think that he would put his own name in the goblet meant that he couldn't really have known him very well at all. Also, as Ron attempted an apology, he actually managed to insult him, confuse him and slightly imply that it was his fault for not understanding him but he couldn't help laughing at how... well Ron it was.

After that the black haired boy spent a while catching up with Ron and accepting congratulations from the other Gryffindors before retiring to the dorms as he had been longing to do for so long. Laying on his bed, Harry intended to rest for an hour or two, no more, then go and meet Draco at the Astronomy tower like usual but, as the day's events really caught up to him, his bright green eyes closed and didn't open again until light streamed through the windows.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Draco waited all night for him on the Astronomy tower before finally falling asleep in the cold night air.


	17. Chapter 17

No PoV

As the blinding sunlight filtered through Draco's eyelids and he reorientated himself, realising where he was and why, he felt groggy, miserable and annoyed but mostly he felt stupid. He and Harry had never said that they'd meet on the Astronomy tower every night, it was more of a... coincidental thing, so Draco shouldn't expect Harry to show up every night because he had no obligation to.

Standing and stretching, the blonde wizard noticed how achy he felt and once again chastised himself mentally. He was an idiot. When Harry didn't show up, he should have just gone back to his dorm and gone to bed but instead he had convinced himself that the champion was celebrating with the other Gryffindors and then he'd run in apologising for his lateness, so he'd waited. He'd waited and waited until finally sleep had overpowered him and he'd fallen asleep on the cold, hard stone of the tower, still hoping Potter would barge through the door with flushed cheeks and kind, reassuring words.

He needed to see the black haired boy for himself to fully believe that he was alright. He needed to see that the boy he loved was safe.

When he arrived at the great hall, most of the aches and pains from his poor choice of sleeping location had faded. Looking around, only interested in one face among the hundreds, he spotted the boy sitting at the Gryffindor table tiredly nodding along with whatever his annoying ginger friend was saying. Stayed up too late celebrating with his other annoying friends Draco supposed.

'Well it was just a matter of time before he got bored of me... He acted like he liked me though, at least a little.' Then realisation hit him like a wave of ice cold water. 'He's talking to Weasley meaning that they're friends again so he doesn't need me anymore...'

Walking with almost exaggerated grace, Draco fixed his gaze on the floor in front of his feet and his way to his seat, putting all his focus on holding back the tear that were prickling at his eyes. He had trusted Harry with his deepest, darkest, most humiliating secret and by doing so made himself vulnerable to the black haired boy but now he found out he was just a temporary replacement for the Weasel; a way of entertaining himself until he made up with the ginger idiot he called a mistakenly best friend.

Really though, it was his own fault, Draco thought. He should have known better than to trust anyone that much and to get so attached to anyone was dangerous. He should have just kept his mouth shut. It was his fault.

Relying on the practice he'd had over the years, he pushed those thoughts aside and schooled his features to show only a calm and composed expression befitting of a Malfoy. Now more than ever he needed to meet his father's expectations in public or risk the same torture he had this summer. Eating some breakfast as quickly as he could while remaining respectable, he ate little before walking briskly back out of the hall and finally let the tears roll down his cheeks. Then, away form the prying eyes of the rest of the school, he ran.

**Broken Like An Angel**

It wasn't until later that day when they were all herded into meetings with their heads of house that Draco remembered a tradition of the tri-wizard tournament he vaguely recalled reading about once; the Yule Ball.

The Gryffindors all gathered around the sides of the room and listened to Professor McGonagall's speech about traditions and swans and lions. Harry wasn't really listening and he was sure none of the other boy were either meaning that they were caught very off guard when Ron was called upon and told to go up and dance with McGonagall. Harry could hardly breath through the laughter as Ron awkwardly stumbled around in what he thought passed as dancing. He realised though that his would probably be no better. However, despite his laughter, he didn't feel as happy as he should have been. It felt like there was something missing...

Meanwhile, the Slytherins were having nowhere near as much fun. Professor Snape was droning on about tradition and the importance of the ball and the other students were muttering and whispering to each other but the potions master seemed not to care. It was clear that he had no more interest in the whole event than the rest of the male population but, for reasons known only to themselves, the girls actually looked excited at the idea. Draco guessed it was to do with the opportunity to buy new clothes, dress up and try to catch the attention of the boys.

Frankly, Draco couldn't see what all the fuss was about at all. He had plenty of fancy clothes already and he had absolutely no desire to attract attention from anyone except, at the moment, maybe Potter, but, from what he had recently learned about the boy, he was certain that expensive dress robes and well styled hair was not going to impress Harry. Hell, he wasn't even gay so nothing he wore would garner any romantic interest except perhaps a dress but most likely all that would get him would be Harry laughing at him for the rest of his life. Not that he would even consider wearing a dress in the first place.

Shaking his head to clear it of such ridiculous thoughts as himself in a dress to impress Potter, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. There was to be a pointless ball and he was required to attend. He, of course, already knew how to dance because what self-respecting (though he wasn't sure how much he did respect himself anymore) pure-blood would not know ballroom dancing? And he would have to find some girl to take as a date for appearance's sake. No Malfoy goes to a ball alone. It wouldn't really be a date though since he had no intention of flirting with some idiotic girl who would just want compliments all night that Draco would not give. No, Draco wanted to go with Harry to the ball but he knew that was absolutely not possible so instead he'd have to settle for some Slytherin girl who just wanted to be able to gloat that she'd been to the ball with a Malfoy. Unless... maybe he could go with Parkinson. He could make it perfectly clear that they were going as friends and she'd still be desperate enough to agree. Perfect! Then he could dance with her once and leave and she could dance with all the boys she wanted.

Maybe Harry would leave early too and they could meet up again... Draco thought hopefully before his small bit of happiness was once again crushed. He had Ron back so he didn't want anything to do with Draco anymore. Just like before... for Harry at least. Draco had had a taste of what it was like to be close to Harry, to be even slightly important to him, and now he couldn't let him go so easily. He wanted more but he couldn't have it. The blonde had fallen even deeper in love with Harry only to have the object of his affections abandon him, leaving him vulnerable, hopeless and utterly depressed. Plus he would have to watch as Harry happily danced, twirled and enjoyed himself, looking amazing Draco was sure, with some girl who probably only saw the scar on his forehead. The them, he was just Harry Potter – The boy who lived or Harry Potter – Youngest tri-wizard champion in history. Draco saw all that but he also saw past it. He loved Harry Potter – A boy with messy but soft black hair and the most beautiful green eyes the blonde had ever seen.


	18. Chapter 18

No PoV

As Draco sat in the Great hall for dinner with the other students, he allowed himself to feel a little proud. Since their brief conversation through the champion's tent wall, Draco had not spoken to Harry Potter and since breakfast yesterday he had been successfully avoiding him. Thus his pride.

Realising he was merely a replacement, the blonde had decided that he would ignore the Gryffindor and hope that he could in turn ignore his feelings for him. So he had been avoiding the other boy for almost two days and, much to his surprise, Harry seemed to have noticed. Confusion shone clear in his eyes whenever Draco accidentally met his gaze and he was sure he could detect a little worry there too, though it could have just been wishful thinking.

He may have felt a little pride at that moment but it was a brief reprieve from the difficult last two days for Draco. Even before, their friendship had never gone beyond the astronomy tower (and that empty classroom once...) but it was still hard to have no relationship at all with Harry. No secret kind looks or gentle smiles, no unspoken reassurance that they could talk later, not even the insults or fights that had been Draco's desperate attempt for a bit of physical, emotional and verbal closeness to the other boy in the previous years. He could clearly remember the times not long ago at all despite seeming like years when he would rile Potter up just to see that cute colouring of his cheeks, hear passion in his voice direct solely at him nevermind the fact that it was spewing insults, see the fire in the bright emerald eyes that had held Draco captive both in reality and in his dreams more times than he could count and then, if he was lucky, they would fight and Draco could finally touch his slightly tanned, unbelievably soft skin.

When the students had eaten their fill and the hall began to empty as they trailed out through the large double doors, chattering all the way. Draco also stood and walked out of the room with the intention of going to the common room until he felt an arm brush against his own and he looked up to find Potter. Resolutely looking away he carried on walking but was stopped by a hand wrapping around his wrist and dragging him. His heart raced and his stomach turned at the horribly familiar feeling of a grip on his wrist and the inability to get away. Turning his attention to his captor, he relaxed a little at seeing Harry but he was still not calm. He was sure Harry wasn't trying to hurt him but the surprise, the hold on his wrist and the memories associated with it meant that he couldn't calm down.

They entered an empty classroom and Harry shut the door behind them before casting a quick silencing charm on the room. It occurred to Draco that perhaps they should start doing the same on the Astronomy tower but it was a fleeting notion.

"Hey! You should know better than anyone not to grab me out of nowhere like that!" The blonde yelled, anxiety changing to anger now that he felt safe again.

"Oh right, I'm sorry. Are you alright? I totally forgot that it might scare you..."

"I wasn't scared, Potter." Draco said haughtily, trying his best not to fall back into the friendly relationship he missed so much. Pushing past the black haired boy, he tried to open the door but was stopped once again by a hand around his arm that pulled to face those familiar mesmerising eyes and let go quickly.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He demanded. His voice was firm but Draco could tell he was hurt.

"Who says I'm avoiding you?" Malfoy asked in a feeble attempt to end the conversation without his Malfoy façade failing him as he knew it soon would when faced with those intense green eyes.

"You weren't at the Astronomy tower last night, you've hardly looked at me since the first task and when you do look at me, it's like... there's nothing there... It's like you've just blocked everything out and your eyes are just empty. I can't stand to see you like that Draco. And now you're acting like the jerk you were last year. What happened to the nice guy I got to know and actually started to like over the last few weeks?" Harry shouted.

"Started to like? Don't lie to me! I was just a replacement for Weasley. You started hanging out with me when he started ignoring you. Then you make up with him and there's no need to pretend you give a damn about me anymore. You know, I waited all night for you in the Astronomy tower the night of the first task but you never showed up. I fell asleep there waiting for you because I wanted to make sure you were safe and to congratulate you but you had better things to do, right? Celebrating with the Gryffindors and chatting to Weasley, isn't that right?" Draco yelled back, his voice hitching occasionally as his steely grey eyes filled with tears and he struggled to hold back sobs. He mentally scolded himself for acting so weak and pathetic. His father would beat him senseless if he saw him right now.

Obviously noticing his distress, Harry closed the distance between them and hugged the blonde boy, their heads on each other shoulders due to their similar heights. He felt the warm wetness soak his robes but he didn't comment on it.

"I'm sorry Draco. I didn't know you were waiting for me. I did make up with Ron and celebrate with the others but only for about an hour. I was about to go to the tower to see if you were there but I fell asleep. I had just battled a dragon, remember? I was exhausted! I really am sorry though. I didn't mean to make you think you had been replaced." Harry replied, tightening his hold on the fragile boy in his arms. He had never really considered how this summer must have affected Draco's personality since he hadn't really known him before but something told Harry that this low self-esteem and borderline paranoia was something new, not just something he had hidden before now.

Reluctantly pushing Harry away a little, Draco voiced his last concern for the evening.

"If you were so worried, why didn't you say anything? You've had two days to ask me if you cared but you were busy talking to the Weasel."

"That doesn't matter..." Harry mumbled, not willing to admit the truth to the boy in front of him. They used to be enemies but what were they now? He wasn't sure and he wasn't about to ask. Telling him the truth would be worse than asking almost but, for some reason, as the blonde's eyes bored into his own he was finding it hard to keep the words unspoken so he just hoped Draco would leave it alone. No such luck.

"It does matter. Don't yell at me for avoiding you when you were doing the exact same thing!"

"You really don't get it, do you? You really want to know? Fine. I just got back on speaking terms with my best friend so I should want to catch up with him, spend some time with him and yell at him for being such an idiot, right? But instead, all I want to do is come and find you, talk to you, spend as much time with you as I can and I don't really know why! Do you have any idea how confusing that is for me?!" Harry shouted. Draco was surprised and a little scared by the yelling again for a moment before anger made itself known and he screamed his reply. He couldn't stop it.

"Actually yes, Potter, I do. How do you think it feels to be told your entire life to hate someone and then fall in love with that same person?! Always being told lies about them to make you despise them but instead it just makes me want to find out what's true and what's not. Find out everything you can about them but not through rumours. Wanting to know everything about the person because they want you to know and tell you themselves. If that isn't confusing then I don't know what is!"

Draco panted slightly and stood completely still, shocked at what he had just done. He had all but confessed his feelings to Harry. It was possible that he might interpret it as someone else but even Harry probably wasn't that oblivious. As if to prove his point, the black haired boy whispered hesitantly, "Me?"

Gathering all his courage and figured that he'd already screwed it up so what did a little more matter, he nodded.

Not moving a muscle, the other boy just stood there, lips slightly parted in surprise which would in any other situation have been tempting to Draco but right now he could think of nothing but how he had messed the one thing to make him happy in quite a long time. Taking his silence as rejection, the blonde panicked.

Apologising profusely, he muttered something about how he should just forget everything he'd said and then he span around, yanked open the door and ran. He ran as fast as he could away from that room and didn't stop until he was breathing heavily and collapsed on his bed and only then did he let his tears fall once again.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Harry stood motionless as he took in what Draco had just said. He vaguely registered the blonde apologising and running away but he didn't chase after him. What would he say? He had no idea how to respond.

Draco was a guy so shouldn't he be disgusted or disturbed or something at being told that Malfoy liked him? He had known that Malfoy was gay and it hadn't bothered him but he had never thought the other boy might have like him. But he felt no disgust as he thought he should after being told by another boy that he liked... no, loved him. Instead, he actually felt... happy about it. Was that normal? He guessed that someone telling you they love you is always nice so it was flattering even if it was a guy. That was totally normal... right?

He still didn't know how to reply to the blonde boy though. Confused, he finally managed to regain control of his body enough to close his dropped jaw and walk rigidly back to the common room deep in thought. Reaching the Gryffindor tower, he shrugged off Hermione and Ron's questions claiming he was tired and was going to get an early night. Changing on autopilot, he climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin, staring up at the canopy above him.

How did he feel about Draco? Not knowing how to even begin to answer that question, his tumultuous thoughts kept him up long after the rest of his room mates had retired for the night.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Over the next few days, the Astronomy tower remained empty and the two young wizards' moods became steadily worse. Draco was avoiding the tower for fear of seeing Harry and having to face the rejection that had followed his accidental confession and Harry was avoiding it because still had no idea what to say to the boy. The same could be said for the boys themselves as they tried to dodge each other in hallways and look anywhere but at the other in any shared classes and the Yule ball crept up on the school before anyone had even realised. There was a blatant undercurrent of excitement in the air around the castle, however, this feeling was not shared by all of its inhabitants. Two boys specifically were not in the party spirit. Draco had succeeded in his plan and was to be accomplished by Pansy Parkinson to the ball and Harry had, after much nervousness, embarrassment and many rejections finally managed to find dates for himself and Ron – The Patil twins. Honestly, it was more of a last resort arrangement since none of the four of them were going with who they wanted to.

Harry had barely had a chance to speak to anyone once he arrived before he was pushed into line with the other champions with Parvati by his side. He wasn't sure why but her being there just felt wrong. It felt like... someone else should be there in her place but the black haired boy was unwilling to admit who he thought that person should be. The same boy he was trying to fight the urge to look around the hall for. Keeping his gaze dead ahead and forcing a small fake smile onto his lips, he walked into the hall and with the music, began to dance.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Draco's stomach was tying itself in knots as he stood politely with his friend and the rest of the students in the hall, patiently waiting for the champions and their dates to enter the room and have the first dance to officially start the ball. When they finally walked in, all eyes were on them and Draco's breath caught in his throat.

Harry's date was not a student the blonde boy know but he thought he'd seen her around the castle before and was fairly sure she was a Gryffindor and she looked pretty. Draco couldn't deny that all the girls looked beautiful and it was obvious that they had spent a lot of time, effort and money on their appearances for this event but still he thought that not a single one of them, girl or boy, came even close to looking as gorgeous as Harry did tonight. The black of his robes and hair made his entrancing green eyes stand out even more and the formal attire made even his hair look a little better although it looked like, despite the apparent importance of the occasion, Harry had yet again lost the fight with his comb but the mussed hair looked lighter than usual- more dark brown than black- and soft and Draco just wanted to reach out to him and run his fingers through it, perhaps try to tame it a little with his fingers. Regardless of all that, or maybe because of it, he was adorable as his natural innocence shone through in his shyness and awkward clumsiness.

As he watched the couples (one in particular) perform the dance with spins and lifts, jealousy welled up inside him and he had a strong urge to march over there, pull that Gryffindor girl roughly from his arms and place himself there instead like it should be.

Restraining himself, he noticed a pulling on his arm and realised that other couples were now starting to join the champions on the makeshift dance floor and that Pansy wanted to join too. Reluctantly, he followed Pansy and ordered his mind to think only of the dance they were doing. On the bright side, if they danced now he could leave earlier with his one obligatory dance out of the way.

As his feet mindlessly recited the steps as he had done so many times in lessons as a child due to his prestigious pureblood family, his mind wandered without his permission to the exact subject he was trying to avoid. Only metres from him, the boy he loved was dancing with a someone else and the black haired boy had barely even glanced at him and Draco knew that if he didn't leave soon he would not be able to control himself any longer. The song was now drawing to a close and the blonde had pulled away from the girl in front of him almost before the end as he practically ran from the dance floor. With no real direction, Draco ran until faced with a familiar door which he promptly threw open and slid down the wall to rest his head on his knees.

**Broken Like An Angel**

When Harry caught sight of Draco gliding gracefully as usual onto the cleared area of the room that had been designated as a dance floor he was positive his had skipped and settled in an irregular beat. The Slytherin boy was wearing dress robes like everyone else but even Harry could tell just by looking that they must have been expensive. The dark colour made the boy's pale skin and platinum blonde hair even more obvious. His skin wasn't a sickly pale but a smooth, pure, blank canvas and a small part of Harry's mind whispered to him that it was just begging to be marked... Draco was the most beautiful boy Harry had ever seen and honestly, he was more beautiful than a lot of the girls as well. He would never admit it out loud but Harry had on occasion paid a little more attention to boys than was perhaps normal but he'd just pinned it as teenage curiosity.

Never before had he felt about anyone, male or female, the way he did about Draco although he still didn't really know what that feeling was. It certainly made him think though and when the blonde boy haunting his thoughts ran from the room as soon as the song ended looking distraught he realised that he hated seeing Draco upset... He wanted to be the one who the other boy talked to about his problems and he wanted more than anything to be the one to coax that amazing smile onto pale pink lips and then just stare at the beautiful blonde boy and hold him in his arms where he belonged forever. He wanted to kiss those pale pink lips until they were red and swollen as proof tot he world that Draco was his. He was a little shocked by this revelation and he should have been terrified but he was relieved to finally know what was happening to him and he was just too desperate for Draco to talk to him again to consider the implications of his epiphany. Somehow he'd known it all along but had been scared to admit even to himself. _'Not very Gryffindor...'_

Now he finally had an answer and he was not going to wait any longer to tell Draco and, hopefully, see his radiant smile again for the first time in a while. Stuttering half-hearted apologies to his date he sprinted off after Draco as fast as his robes allowed. He was sure he the other boy would be in the astronomy tower even though he hadn't been there for days. He was out of breath when he got there but he didn't care. Pushing the door open, Harry stepped through and rushed over to the curled up boy's side as soon as he saw him.

"Draco! Are you ok?"

"Fine. What are you doing here?" The blonde grumbled.

"I want to reply to what you said the other day."

"Which day? What did I say?" Malfoy asked, blatantly lying since that was all that had been on his mind for half the week.

"When you told me you love me."

"Oh that... That was stupid. Ignore what I said, I was just being a crazy idiot."

"Does that mean... you didn't mean it?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"No, I meant it..." Draco mumbled, a blush rising to his cheeks. "But it doesn't mean you have to respond. Just... just please don't hate me, ok?"

"Hate you?! I definitely don't hate you. I came here to tell you my honest response and hope that you will accept it." Pausing, Harry moved closer to the other boy and put an arm hesitantly around his shoulders. He gained confidence when the blonde shifted even closer to him. "Draco, I'm not sure yet if I love you but I know I like you a lot. More than I probably should. More than I've ever liked anyone else before. When you said you loved me, I was a little shocked because I didn't expect it at all but I was so happy even though I didn't realise at the time that I might love you. And Draco, if it's alright with you, I really want to kiss you."

Draco sat still in surprise and disbelief for a few seconds before finally being able to reply. "Yes. You can kiss me. Father never kissed me so I should be ok... I've wanted to kiss you for a long time."

So Harry leaned towards the blonde who did the same. The moment their lips met for the first time both boys thought it felt perfect. It was like nothing they had felt before and they couldn't describe the feeling. Both of them had kissed people before but it had never felt as amazing as this. It was innocent, just a brushing of lips for now, but it made them feel light-headed. Giving in to a long-time desire, Harry reached out a hand and ran it through white-blond locks that were surprisingly soft despite the slight slickness from whatever gel stuff the boy used to keep his it styled how exactly how he wanted it. Following suit, Draco ran his fingers through Harry's raven black hair like he had wanted to for so long and found it to be even softer than he'd expected – softer than he'd imagined when he'd dreamed of touching it. Tugging a little on his hair, Harry pulled Draco closer for a moment before reluctantly pulling away, breathless and dazed but not wanting to rush things. He knew he was going to have to be very careful not to scare Draco.

"Wow..." The blonde breathed and Harry chuckled lightly.

"Yeah."

"Harry, I know you don't feel the same way but I want you to know anyway. I love you. I really do." Draco said and Harry couldn't take his eyes off of the deep pink, plump from kissing, lips that had spoken the words.

"I might not be sure right now but it won't be long before I'm hopelessly, head over heels, though I never really understood the expression, in love with you." Harry muttered, more to himself than to the blonde but he had heard it and tears welled up in his eyes once again but, for the first time, they were of happiness.

Drawing confidence from his joy, he shifted closer still and snuggled a little into the green eyed boy's side and looked out at the view from the tower until, without even knowing it, he fell asleep in Harry's arms.

After a while, the other boy looked down at him to find him sleeping peacefully and a small smile crept onto his face.


	19. Chapter 19

Harry PoV

When I awoke, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was. It was still dark on the Astronomy tower and I wondered what had woken me up. I was still tired and there was no light so surely I hadn't woken at this hour naturally. It was then that I heard noises beside me. Someone was whimpering and sobbing and the noises sounded pained and miserable. I looked quickly to my side and saw that Draco and I were alone as we had been when we had fallen asleep. It was Draco making those sorrowful sounds.

As I looked at him, he wriggled and writhed as though trying to escape something and it took me only a moment to realise what was most likely plaguing the poor blonde boy. Malfoy remained haunted by his father and his actions from thousands of miles away even though he had nothing to fear here at Hogwarts. Knowledge and rational thought could not control dreams or erase memories.

I was unsure of how to deal with such a situation. Despite having had many nightmares of my own over the years, I didn't know whether to wake the distraught boy or leave him to awaken naturally. If I woke him it may cause him more distress and disorientation but if I left him... he would have to relive one of the worst experiences of his life. Having phrased it like that, the choice was easy to make. I gently shook the blonde boy about to no avail. I shook him more violently but it only increased the boy's distress. He must have thought the shaking was part of the dream.

Struggling as he obviously had when it had really happened but without his limbs being restrained as I had heard they had been then, his arms and legs were flailing around, a fact that I failed to fully realise until one of the boy's hands hit me hard in the face.

Trying a different approach, I carefully wrapped my arms around the trembling boy in an embrace and whispered softly in his ear.

"Come on Draco. It's me, Harry. You're safe. It's just me here, no one else. Wake up." I continued to whisper reassurances in his ear, ignoring his soft hair tickling my face slightly. After a while I wasn't even aware of what I was saying but I continued to whisper in a soft, calming voice and hoped it would work. Gradually, Draco's struggling began to lessen and then it stopped as tear filled grey eyes slowly opened and the blonde looked up cautiously.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, it's me." I smiled softly down at him.

He curled in as close to me as he could and almost immediately I felt wetness soak my clothes. Draco was breathing heavily and I gently stroked his hair, pressing light kisses to the top of his head every now and then. I wasn't sure but I had a feeling I was the only to have ever seen the Malfoy heir so openly vulnerable and I felt privileged that he trusted me enough to let me be witness to it. I'm sure that if he had really wanted to, Draco could have left when he woke up or he could have pretended that he was fine but instead he had trusted me not to laugh at him or think worse of him or use the knowledge against him in some way and that made me a little happy. However, my happiness was short lived when I remembered what had caused this show of weakness. His happiness quickly turned to rage at Lucius and then dissipated leaving sadness and worry once again as he carefully ran his fingers through soft blonde hair while Draco continued to sob quietly.

Eventually, the blonde's tears ceased and his breathing slowly began to even out.

"Draco? Are you alright?"

"I've been better but I'm alright." Draco said, looking up at me with a weak smile and tear tracks all over his face. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm here for you Draco." I reassured him with a smile on my own face. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"

Draco shook his head quickly and I reluctantly accepted the answer. I knew that it would be hard for him to talk about but I also knew it would be good for him and I wanted him to feel better as soon as possible. I couldn't stand to see him so upset.

"Ok, well if you change your mind, I'm here." I told him and hugged him closer to me.

"What time is it?" The blonde boy mumbled, seemingly still tired. I couldn't blame him since I was still quite tired myself. It had been a busy few days and we had both fallen asleep late and woken very early.

"I don't know. It's early though so I don't think anyone else will be awake yet after last night. We should probably get back to our dorms though before anyone wakes up and notices we're gone." I reluctantly said, wanting to stay with Draco but knowing that it would be really bad if anyone found out about us.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Draco said sounding equally reluctant.

"Draco."

"Yeah, Harry?"

"Merry Christmas!" I said with a big smile on my face.

Realisation was evident on his face and a smile spread across his face. "Merry Christmas Harry."

Standing up and offering a hand to the other boy to pull him up, I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead then turned and walked back to the Gryffindor tower before I lost my resolve. I reminded myself that, if things went according to plan, I'd see him later...

**Broken Like An Angel**

No PoV

Draco sat by himself at the Slytherin table in the great hall, glad to be away from the common room. There were very few students in the hall and most of them were in groups of friends here for a late lunch but Draco sat alone only picking at the small portion of food on the plate in front of him. Despite what people may think, there was a festive feeling among the Slytherins, only enhanced by the fact that almost all of the students had remained at school during the holidays this year for the Yule ball but one blonde Slytherin couldn't really get into the Christmas spirit. He couldn't stand having to keep up the act of pretentious bastard around all of the people who claimed to be his friends who really knew nothing about him but he knew that loyalty was not a high priority in Slytherin and the truth would be invaluable blackmail material to anyone.

They didn't know that he was terrified of his own father, that his body had been tainted and violated or that he loved none other than Harry Potter who, apparently, might love him back. He couldn't be honest around them and he had eventually decided that it would be better to just be alone. The blonde would have loved to spend christmas with Harry but he was with his Gryffindor buddies leaving Draco alone on Christmas day.

He was pulled from his reverie by the sound of a screeching owl over head. It was not the normal time for post to be delivered but owls came and went all the time around Hogwarts so it wasn't unusual. It was as it headed towards Draco that he became confused. There was no one around him and he had no idea who could be sending him anything. He had already received post from home earlier in the day so he wasn't expecting any other mail. His mother had sent him a letter and a small package of wizarding sweets including some Bertie Bott's every flavour beans and chocolate frogs this morning and even though it wasn't much, it had meant a lot to Draco. She had told him that Lucius hadn't intended to send him anything so she'd had to send it to him without his father finding out so she couldn't send much.

The bird gracefully swooped down and landed on the table beside me. It was a nondescript barn owl without any defining features and Draco didn't recognise it. The owl had a letter in her beak and Draco carefully took it, petting it absent-mindedly as he unfolded the letter and read it, not noticing when the owl flew quietly away.

_Draco,_

_I would have sent this letter with Hedwig but she's too conspicuous. Most of the school know she's my owl._

_Merry Christmas! I'm sorry I had to leave you this morning but I know it would be bad for both of us if we were found out. I've been celebrating with the Gryffindors this morning so I don't raise any suspicions and I guess you've been with the Slytherins but I would have much preferred to spend the whole day with you._

_If you can, please meet me in the Astronomy tower at 4pm._

_Harry._

Draco could tell that Harry had tried to write the note as neatly as he could and a small smile that he couldn't completely hold back appeared on his face.

Feeling happier than he had before, the blonde stood from his seat and walked confidently back to the Slytherin common room. Malfoy was pleasantly surprised when he realised that some of that confidence was actually real and not just put on for the other students. He couldn't believe the difference a little genuine happiness could make and he hoped it would last but he had a horrible feeling that it was all going to go terribly wrong.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Harry was already sitting in their usual spot in Astronomy tower when Draco arrived 5 minutes earlier than he'd been told to in the letter. He was leaning against the wall and looked a little bit nervous but mostly just happy. Draco guessed he was just really into the christmas spirit and he was very glad that the black haired boy was wanted to spend some of his christmas day with him. In fact, he had even suggested it!

"Hey." Harry said with a smile.

"Hi." Draco replied, sitting down next to the other boy but keeping a safe distance in case Harry didn't want him in his personal space but as soon as he had sat down, Harry had pulled him in close to his side. The blonde squirmed a little at first but then settled down and rested his head on Harry's shoulder much to Harry's relief as he had been worried that he may have scared Draco.

Picking up something next to him, the Gryffindor turned to face Draco. "Draco." Harry said, waiting for the blonde to look at him. When he did, he held out the package to the other boy. "Merry christmas."

Draco stared in surprise, looking back and forth between Harry's smiling face and the paper bag wrapped object in his hand.

"I- Ummm... H-Harry...I- I'm sorry... I didn't get you anything..." The blonde boy mumbled and looked away, not wanting to see those bright green eyes right now as guilt took a hold of him. He hadn't know Harry was going to buy him anything. They hadn't mentioned it but he should have realised! If they were friends, and maybe even more than that, of course they would buy each other a christmas gift. That's what people do! Draco knew that and should have thought of it. Being raised in a pure-blood family, manners had always been very important so that people got a good impression of him and yet he'd forgotten something as simple as this. At christmas, people buy you a present and you buy them one in return.

"Oh Draco, it's ok. I wasn't expecting anything in return. I saw it when I was in Hogsmead a few days ago and I just had to buy it for you. Don't apologise, I don't mind at all. Hey, look at me. I'm not angry or disappointed or anything so just look at me." The black haired boy pleaded. Draco looked up hesitantly, worried that Harry really was disappointed despite what he'd said. "Ah, there are the beautiful eyes I like so much." Harry teased.

Draco blushed and looked away again. "Don't make fun of me! I'm sorry, ok? I really am."

"I know you're sorry and I really don't mind. I didn't expect you to buy me anything and if I hadn't seen this and thought of you then I probably wouldn't have bought you anything either so just relax, alright? I'm not mad, I swear." Harry reassured him, grasping one of his hands as he spoke and holding it firmly. "And I'm not making fun of you. I really do think your eyes are beautiful. Just like the rest of you." The green eyed boy now joined the blonde blushing at the embarrassing thing he'd just said.

"I'm not beautiful." Draco whispered, harshly.

"Yes, you are." Harry replied with such conviction that the blonde could deny him even though he didn't believe it.

"Well I think you're eyes are beautiful too. The rest of you too." Draco mumbled, so quietly that Harry almost didn't hear it but when he did he pulled Draco into a tight hug.

"Anyway, open it!" Harry said excitedly, pushing the paper bag towards the other boy.

Still unsure but curious and a little excited as well, he carefully took the package from the other boy's hands. The present was light and Draco opened the top of the bag, peering inside. He saw something pale blue but couldn't see what it was so he reached into the bag and pulled out the very soft object. In the dusk winter light that had settled over the castle, Draco saw that he was holding a scarf. It was unbelievably soft, so soft that he thought they must have used some kind of spell, and it was made of pale blue and silver threads and Draco loved it. Leaping forward, Draco threw his arms around Harry's neck and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Thank you! It's great!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. I saw it and thought it would suit you so well. Plus, it would be nice to see you wearing something that isn't blatantly Slytherin for a change." Harry replied with a grin and returned Draco's enthusiastic hug. "It's always nice to get presents too."

"Yeah, I guess it is. I got some sweets from Mother this morning and that was nice. She had to send them without Father knowing... I got a few presents from the other Slytherins too, like Pansy but I don't really care about them. They just do it so their parents are happy." The blonde sat back down as he spoke.

"I love presents. Even when it's one of Mrs. Weasley's itchy jumpers with a big H on the front, it shows that someone thought about you and put the time and effort into figuring out what to buy you. I bet you didn't know that I had never had a birthday or christmas present before I started at Hogwarts." Harry said with a small smile. No one except Hermione and Ron really knew about how he was treated at the Dursley's and he was sure that Draco's parents wouldn't have told him even if they had known.

"Really?! That's terrible!" Draco exclaimed. "You know, I always thought that you were spoiled rotten and treated like a king at home because you're the boy who lived and all. I can't believe how wrong I was... I knew so little about you and yet I was so mean to you." He continued regretfully.

"It's ok, it's not your fault. I wasn't exactly nice to you either. I thought the same thing as you about your home life. I'd never suspected your father was so horrible to you." Harry reasoned. "How about we just forget about the past and enjoy our christmas day together?" He suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that." Draco said with a smile. They sat in a content silent for a while before the blonde broke it, turning to face Harry once again. "Hey Harry?"

"Yes Draco?"

"Thanks again." The blonde said as he carefully wrapped the soft fabric around his neck. It felt nice on his skin and he instantly felt warmer. The black haired boy couldn't resist leaning in and kissing the Slytherin boy. It began as just a gentle touching of lips but it became more passionate and when Harry's tongue brushed across Draco's bottom lip, he parted them to allow entrance. They fought for dominance but after a few moments they gave up and just settled into a lazy dance of tongues. Pulling away, both boys were breathless and flushed but they had huge smiles on their faces.

"This is turning out to be a brilliant christmas." Harry breathed. Draco's grin just grew


	20. Chapter 20

Harry was unbelievably grateful to Cedric when he gave him a hint about the egg. The second task was only days away and he still had no clue what the clue meant. He had really been starting to panic but now at least he had a place to start in figuring it all out. Still, despite the quickly approaching second task, Harry was happier than he had been in quite a while, if ever, and it was all thanks to a certain blonde haired Slytherin.

Waking up beside the boy the other morning, even under such circumstances, and the afternoon that had followed had made the Gryffindor elated. That feeling had stayed with him for a few days and that and the boy's presence had actually made potions with Snape and the Slytherins bearable. They had shared kind looks at every opportunity and Harry was thinking about learning the charm to make notes move and go to another person. He could rarely could be bothered to learn a new spell if he didn't need to but now he actually wanted to because it meant he could talk to Draco any time.

As the black haired boy made his way to the fifth floor to try to finally figure out the egg, there was a slight bounce in his step. He hummed a random tune as he filled the huge bath with colourful water and bubbles. Harry stared in fascination and childish glee at the strange and probably magical bath before stripping his clothes and sinking into the lovely water. The temperature was perfect and Harry could think of only a few other times in his life he'd been as happy as he was this week, when he first started at Hogwarts being one of them of course.

**Broken Like An Angel**

As Draco was walking back to the Slytherin common room, he walked leisurely and without a care in the world. He knew there were still problems and soon his happiness would wear off, leaving him anxious all over again but for now he could ignore it. For the first time in months, Draco had actually gotten some sleep. He had slept peacefully for hours in Harry's arms before the memories had finally managed to break through his happiness in the early hours of the morning.

Turning the next corner, Draco stopped dead in his tracks. Standing a few metres away from him was a dishevelled, wet Harry Potter clearly on his way back from a bath. His clothes were hastily donned and askew and his hair was messy and still dripping. The blonde watched, transfixed, as a water droplet dripped off a strand of hair, rolling down his slightly flushed cheek, tanned neck and then under his shirt, dampening it a little more than it already was and making it stick to the black haired boy's lightly toned chest and stomach. Draco swallowed thickly but couldn't pull his eyes away. Without permission, they followed the trail of wetness down his shirt and wandered down a little lower. He felt a familiar feeling and his trousers feeling tighter than they had a few moment ago so he forced his gaze away from the other boy before turning and sprinting in the opposite direction. As he ran, he tried to figure out what to do. Should he go back to the common room and try to sneak past the other Slytherins, hoping that his dormitory would be empty or should he try to find somewhere else? He needed to calm down. Running was calming him down a bit but that image of Harry in the hallway back there was burned into his brain and his mind was taking it even further. In his mind, Harry had less and less clothes and Draco could follow that water droplet unobstructed by those troublesome pieces of fabric. Shaking his head frantically, Draco pushed himself to run even faster.

Once again, by instinct, the Slytherin found himself on the Astronomy tower slumped against a wall. This time, however, he was staring dismayed at his crotch where there was an obvious bulge in his trousers.

Of course he'd had erections before- he was a 14 year old boy after all- but not since the summer. Not since that awful summer when his view of sex had changed from being an exciting, romantic and pleasurable act to a terrifying, violent and agonising torture. The thought of masturbation made him remember the sickening feeling of his father's hand wrapped around his cock and the overwhelming guilt and disgust when he had involuntarily come from his bastard father's actions. The mere thought made him shudder and his stomach turn.  
Images and memories fought for priority in his brain, leaving him confused and slightly nauseated. Harry dripping wet would fill his mind then be replaced moments later by his father's sneering face, then a shirtless Potter would be standing before him only to be replaced by the memory of his father stroking him roughly and the agony that had accompanied it.

His head was spinning so he didn't hear a door opening and closing near him and jumped, looking frantically around himself when he heard his name called out hesitantly. He caught sight of Harry and made a futile attempt to hide. Harry, however, had already seen him and was walking towards him.

"Draco? Are you alright? As soon as you saw me, you bolted." Draco looked away from the other boy and hoped he'd give up this topic of conversation. He didn't want to have to explain his actions. "I was worried." Harry continued when the blonde didn't respond. Still ignoring him, Draco looked down at the ground and fiddled with the sleeve of robes. "Come on Draco! Talk to me. Please."The still damp black haired boy pleaded.

"I can't tell you..." Draco mumbled.

"You can tell me anything. I know were not supposed to acting like best friends, and definitely not boyfriends, in public but you've never run away from me before, even in other years, and now you won't tell me why you did it and that worries me Draco." The blonde dared to glance up at the other boy and saw that he looked genuinely worried and a little desperate.

"But... it's embarrassing... You'll laugh and think it's ridiculous." He whispered.

"No, I won't. You have to trust me Draco." Harry tried to reassure the Slytherin.

"I- When I saw you earlier, I got... aroused... and then I kind of... panicked I guess... so I ran."

"You got aroused by seeing me?" Harry said in shock. Draco nodded almost imperceptibly, blushing furiously. "Wow... Well why did that panic you? You've been... aroused before, surely."

"Of course I have!" Malfoy exclaimed abashedly. "Just not since... you know. A couple of times he made me... come... so now I can't... you know, without feeling really guilty and horrible."

"Oh..." Harry breathed as he began to understand. "You shouldn't feel guilty. You were terrified and didn't enjoy it. It was just a natural reaction and you couldn't control it. Don't feel guilty about it."

"Really? But whenever I feel... aroused, memories of my father flood my brain and I feel the guilt I felt then all over again!"

"Ok, calm down. You're not... aroused anymore, right?" The blonde shook his head. "Then you don't need to worry about it right now." They sat in content silence for a few minutes before Harry broke it. "So you really got aroused by me? I didn't even do anything. You really like me that much?" Harry asked both wistfully and with amusement.

"Yes Harry, I do. I love you, remember?" Draco replied playfully.

"Yeah, I remember." The Gryffindor answered with a smile.


	21. Chapter 21

No PoV

Thumbing through yet another book, Harry scanned tiredly through the small text covering the pages. They had been researching ways to hold his breath underwater for an hour for most of the evening now – they had started almost as soon as their classes had ended. He heard Hermione and Ron tell him that they were going to put some books away and muttered a sleepy acknowledgement to the two before they walked away. Knocking lightly on the bookcases in front of the desk he was sitting at, Harry hoped the occupant of the desk on the other side would hear.

"You still there?" Harry spoke in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, I am." Came a voice from the other side of the many rows of books.

"Have you found anything?" The black haired boy whispered.

"No, sorry. I don't know any spells that could help you and I can't find anything in any of these books. I'll keep looking though."

"Ok, thanks. How are you holding up? You must be tired. I know I am." Harry said in concern to the other person.

"Yeah, I'm tired but I can manage. We need to find something to help you." A determined voice floated through the bookcase to Harry.

"Alright but if you get too tired, go to bed." Harry said sternly.

"...Fine."

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see his two best friends approaching him.

"Hermione and Ron are coming back. Seriously though, thank you Draco."

"No problem." Draco whispered back.

Quickly looking back to the book on the desk, he tried to hide the small smile on his face and concentrate on the text that seemed to be dancing on the paper as if to taunt him. He knew that by this point he was far too tired to be doing this and really he needed to get some sleep before the task the next day but he needed to find a spell or charm or something or that would help him.

"So mate, tell us again what the egg said?" Ron said, sounding more lively than Harry ever could have at the time.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground, an hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took." He recited yet again, already knowing it by heart. Hermione thought aloud about the riddle, deeming it 'self-explanatory but potentially problematic'. Anger overtook fatigue as he heard his friends talking and he couldn't restrain it. Did they really think that potentially problematic was the appropriate way to describe this situation?! Firstly, it was a lot more serious than that! Did they not understand that if they didn't find a way for him to hold his breath for an hour he was going to die?! He could actually die! Then there's the fact that they weren't being particularly comforting. He might not have been showing it much but he was scared out of his mind and his two best friends weren't supporting him at all and his boyfriend had to help him secretly so he couldn't comfort him either. Panic was setting in but he was distracted from his thoughts by Mad-eye Moody walking over to their table.

"Granger, Weasley. Professor McGonagall wants to see you." He said gruffly and the aforementioned students shared a bemused look. They didn't seem to have any more of an idea what it was about than Harry did but they apologetically and regretfully bid Harry good night and quietly left the library. Moody then called out to Neville who was passing by, ordering him to help put the many stacks of books surrounding Harry away. Neville stuttered an agreement and picked up a stack before scurrying away to replace them on the shelves. Seeing this, the ex-auror walked away, leaving the black haired boy alone.

"Hey. What do you think McGonagall wants with Granger and Weasley?" Came a quiet voice from the other side of the bookshelf.

"I have no idea." Harry mumbled.

Neville stumbled back into view and began rambling about herbology but Harry tuned him out, far too many worries in his head to care about plants. However, the constant noise of Neville's voice in the background of his mind prevented him from thinking properly and after a few minutes he couldn't take it anymore and his stress made itself known as he yelled at the poor boy, though it sounded more like an exasperated plea than any real anger.

Then, Harry heard the words he had been wanting to hear all day from the least likely person. 'Gillyweed might work.' That's what Neville had said and immediately Harry's head snapped up, gaze focusing on the other boy. The boy almost cowered under the intense green stare.

"Gillyweed? What's that?"

"It's a plant. When ingested, it gives you gills. It's really interesting actually. Usually-" Neville continued talking but Harry cut him off, desperation overriding his manners.

"Where can I get it?" Harry demanded.

"Umm... I- I'll get some for you. I'll g-give it to you to-tomorrow." Harry felt a little bad for making Neville stutter again and lose the confidence herbology had began to give him but he knew he would be back to normal again soon and right now Harry was flooded by relief and exhaustion so he just couldn't bring himself to care.

"Thanks Neville. You're a life-saver." The black haired boy replied, voice filled with appreciation and fatigue.

"You should get some sleep Harry. I'll put the rest of these books away for you." Neville said, kindly.

"Really? Thanks Neville." Harry said, his voice showing just how tired he was. All this stress about the tournament and the late nights with Draco were really starting to take a toll on him. When Neville grabbed more books and walked away, Harry stood slowly and made his way around the bookshelves.

As he turned the corner, a bright smile plastered itself on his face. There, at the desk directly opposite the one he had previously been occupying, was Draco Malfoy. His arms were resting on the table to either side of him and his head was on a book that remained open on the desk, face to the side and platinum hair splayed out around him. His eyes were closed and he looked absolutely beautiful. Even in the dim lighting, Harry could see that he was the most relaxed he had been in, probably, months and it made him even more attractive than usual.

He was entranced, just staring at the sleeping boy, until he heard footsteps approaching him that brought his attention back to the present. Peering carefully around the shelf, he saw that Neville was back for another stack of books. The footsteps receded again and the back haired boy walked cautiously over to the blonde. He must not have been asleep long enough for nightmares to start yet, or maybe he wouldn't have any nightmares tonight? Harry always hoped that he wouldn't but knew he was almost always wrong when Draco slouched into the dining hall for breakfast with bags under his eyes and left again having eaten next to nothing.

Walking over to the boy, Harry gently shook his arm and whispered his name. "Draco. Hey Draco, wake up."

The blonde's eyelids fluttered before finally opening slightly. "Wha-?" Draco mumbled drowsily.

Harry gave up trying to ignore how cute the boy was and placed a soft kiss on his lips before replying. "You fell asleep in the library. You need to go back to your dorm."

The blonde grumbled a little but then seemed to realise something that made him sit up straight, eyes wide open. "That's right! We need to find a spell for the task tomorrow!" Draco exclaimed and began pulling more books towards him and quickly flicking the pages.

"Shhh! Be quiet! Neville's still here. Don't worry about tomorrow, it's sorted. Neville knew of a solution." The black haired boy hissed.

"Neville? Seriously?" Draco looked surprised but the surprise rapidly morphed into sadness, disappointment and a hint of anger. "So even Longbottom knows more than me?! He can help you and I can't?!" The blonde said, voice turning to something akin to a growl.

Taking a hold of Draco's wrist, Harry pulled him out of the library and quietly closed the door behind them. Dragging him into a nearby empty classroom, he let go and turned to face the blonde boy who appeared to still be angry and upset at the same time.

"I didn't say that. Neville knows more about herbology than you, yes, but he knows more about herbology than most of the students here, maybe even Hermione. I think you are one of the most intelligent people I've ever met and I've met Hermione." Harry said with a small smile. "You are very helpful to me and remember that Neville is a fellow Gryffindor and friend but you, Draco, are my boyfriend."

The anger gradually left Draco's face as the Gryffindor spoke.

"Boyfriend..." Draco whispered. "I like the sound of that... I've never had a boyfriend before." He said thoughtfully.

"Neither have I. Never thought I would either." Harry replied with a light chuckle. "Now we'd better get back to our dorms before we fall asleep right herein the middle of this classroom. I told you to go to bed if you got too tired."

"I was going to but... I just really wanted to help you. You helped me loads and I wanted to do the same for you..." The Slytherin blushed as he spoke and Harry was struck again by just how cute Draco could be without even knowing it.

"You really think you don't help me? I can't even imagine how stressed I would have been about this whole tournament if I didn't have you. Also, don't think you have to repay me for helping you. You don't. I'm so glad I could help you and I even got to know you because of it. Of course I'm not glad you needed help in the first place but I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to get to know you properly. And now I think I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world, muggle and wizarding, too." Draco's blush increased tenfold and Harry began to blush as well.

"I'm not amazing... You are. I'm so glad you bothered to help me. No one else would have and even if they had, it would never have meant as much to me as it does that it's you." Draco mumbled, embarrassed. Not knowing quite how to respond to show how much that meant to him, Harry captured the blonde's lips in a kiss. It started as a gentle caress but soon lips parted, tongues met and Harry pulled Draco closer to him, passion overwhelming him. He nibbled lightly on the blonde's lower lip causing him to moan quietly. Then he was gone, scrambling away with wide, panicked eyes. It took the Gryffindor a moment to figure out what was happening but when he did, he felt absolutely terrible.

"I am so sorry! I got carried away and went too far. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, I just got so into the kiss that I wasn't thinking..." The black haired boy rambled guiltily until Draco cut him off.

"It's ok. It's my fault, not yours. I'm sorry I'm so pathetic... I really do love you and I want to kiss you and... you know... do other stuff... I just can't... I'm sorry!" The Slytherin replied, tears building up in his eyes until he furiously scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve.

"It's not your fault so don't apologise. You're certainly not pathetic. You're the strongest person I know for dealing with all of this so well. You went through a very traumatic experience and other people would have completely broken down after going through what you did. All of this is Lucius' fault." Harry's formerly reassuring tone turned to a growl on the last sentence, pure rage dripping from each syllable. Tears welled up in Draco's eyes once again and he moved closer to the black haired boy, putting a comforting hand on his arm.

"I'm not strong..." Draco muttered. "You know, over summer, I used to have daydreams that you would come racing to the manor on your Firebolt and fly off with me...Stupid, I know." A blush took over his face again.

"That's not stupid. It's normal to wish for a way out of a horrible situation and I swear, if I had know what was happening and known what an amazing guy you are, I would have had you away from there the first time Lucius even looked at you strangely."

A small smile appeared on Draco's face and some of Harry's anger faded away. He really did think that Draco was the strongest person he knew for going through what he did and still being able to smile only a few months later.

"Anyway, we'd better be getting to bed. Busy day tomorrow..." Harry said, quietly and they began to walk down the stairs together.

"You'll be alright. You've been through worse than this before." Draco reassured him and Harry wondered how the other boy had known he was nervous. He had been trying hard not to show it since Draco had much bigger problems than he did but somehow he had noticed anyway.

"Thanks... and good night." The black haired boy whispered as they reached the bottom of the stairs and he quickly pulled Draco into a tight hug before releasing him and starting to walk back to the Gryffindor tower. He refused to look back to see Draco walking in the opposite direction for fear he would lose his resolve so he just kept walking somewhat shakily to his bed while trying not to think about what he was expected to do when he woke up.


	22. Chapter 22

Harry PoV

As I stood on that platform, staring into the murky water of the Black Lake, I really started to panic. Neville wasn't sure if this would work, there was a high chance I would drown, there was no other way out of this situation and Draco couldn't help me now. I looked around for the hundredth time to see the head of platinum blonde hair that I knew was silkily soft and I was warmed by the tiny, almost non-existent, smile he sent me but seconds later it was gone and I felt cold again.

The task was about to begin and I turned my gaze back to the lake though my focus stayed with the Slytherin. I reluctantly put the slimy green plant in my mouth and winced a little at the taste but endured, knowing it was my only chance at surviving the next hour.

The feeling of breathing underwater is not one I can describe. It's strange and confusing but I found it exhilarating. Powerful flipper like feet propelled me to and beyond the surface of the lake with minimal effort and I yelled out loud in joy. Splashing back into the water, I felt the change in pressure but it wasn't oppressive as I swam easily through it.

My surroundings became a blur of murky water until I felt the first pull on my ankle. Looking down in shock, I saw a creature holding tightly onto my leg. The merpeople were trying to stop me but I was determined not to let them. I shook my leg as hard as could and when that proved unsuccessful, I tried magic. Casting the first spell I could think of that might work, I felt the hold loosen and I pulled my leg free. Taking off as fast as I could in the direction I thought I was supposed to go I felt more slippery hands grab at me. Shooting off spells at as many as I could, I struggled and eventually freed myself. After that, the merpeople became more persistent and I was exhausted from swimming and fighting of the merpeople by the time I came across what I now knew I had been looking for.

I had been told nothing of what it was I was looking for in that lake but, as I saw 4 people tied with what looked to be vines to the floor of the lake floating in the gloomy light, I knew. Immediately I recognised Ron and Hermione as two of the floating bodies. Who was I supposed to save? They were both my best friends so should I save both? But surely there's one person for each champion so who is mine and which champion is responsible for saving the other?

As I floated there, contemplating the situation, something swam past me incredibly fast. It freed Hermione and I could finally recognise it as Viktor Krum when it slowed down a little. His face had changed to resemble a shark head and he swam with Hermione to the surface. I felt a little relieved knowing that one of my best friends was safe and it was now obvious to me that it was up to me to save Ron. I swam over to Ron and struggled to free him but my attention was drawn away by another figure nearby. Cedric was swimming at a slower pace than Viktor and I could clearly see that he had a large bubble over his mouth. He made quick work of releasing Cho and taking her to safety. My heart sank at the knowledge that I was already going to finish third and I could still finish last. As this though occurred to me, I realised that time was almost up. They were almost out of time and Fleur still hadn't saved her sister. I looked over at the young girl with her blonde hair spread around her by the water and my decision was easy to make. I had to save her. I didn't know what would happen to the hostages, for that's effectively what they were, if they were not saved within the time limit and it was not a risk I was willing to take, even if it was someone I didn't know well at all. Steeling my resolve and resolutely ignoring the slight burning in my lungs that had started to make itself known, I got to work.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Draco PoV

As time passed, I began to get more and more worried. The entire task had passed excruciatingly slowly for me as I stood on the platform with no idea what was going on below the surface of the dark, murky water. People were engaged in conversations with their friends and friendly bets were being proposed about which champions would finish first, second and third but my entire focus was on the gloomy lake. I could see nothing through the water and I could only guess at how Harry was but, as usual, my mind was only procuring the worse possible situations.

More time had passed and both Viktor and Cedric had emerged soaking wet, from the Black Lake accompanied by Hermione Granger and Cho Chang respectively and I could only assume there were other people down there, submerged in the water. No one knew what the task entailed but at that time, I didn't care. The minutes were ticking by and still Harry did not emerge.

Instantly, my mind barraged me with scenarios I didn't even want to consider but I couldn't stop them. What if he was injured? So badly he couldn't return to the surface? He could have drowned. The lake was deep and dark so it was entirely possible. Did the Gillyweed wear off? Harry relied so blindly on Longbottom and everyone knows how hopeless he is. I should have researched Gillyweed before he used it.

Could he be... dead? My heart raced and I began to hyperventilate, my breathing becoming shallow and rapid. If Harry died, I don't know what I'd do. Harry is the only reason I'm still alive today and if he's gone there'll be no reason for me to stay alive. I won't even want to. Harry is the only thing that has made the last few months tolerable and stopped me going insane and if he was gone, I'm sure it wouldn't take me long to sink into the depth of depression and insanity. If Harry dies, I can hardly begin to imagine the emotional agony it would cause me. The pain would be like that first night my father raped me – physical agony and absolute emotional turmoil. I've been in love with the boy for years. I realised I loved him about two years ago but I think I started falling for him the very first time I saw him, as cliché as that sounds.

I had always just needed to be important to Harry. Somehow. He had rejected my offer of friendship in our first year and I think I had already been in love with him then even though I didn't realise it yet. For all I knew, maybe I'd fallen in love with him the moment I first laid eyes on him in Madam Malkin's robe shop the summer before we started at Hogwarts. I had felt drawn to the scruffy boy with the messy hair, baggy clothes that must have been at least 3 sizes too big for him and broken glasses. He was nothing like the kind of people I usually associated with but nevertheless I had the undeniable urge to get to know him even though I hadn't known at that time that this boy was the famous Harry Potter. Then I'd seen those bright emerald green eyes and they hadn't left my mind since. I'd seen so many emotions in those pools of green – anger, desire, sadness, excitement, boredom and so many others – but they were always just as striking as they had been that day. At the time I'd pinned his interest as a mere desire for friendship but now I wondered if perhaps I'd loved Harry even back then. So eventually, with friendship and a romantic relationship being impossible, I had resorted to being his sworn enemy. At least that way I could still keep the boy's attention. Could still provoke that enthusiasm and fire in his stunning green eyes. I could still be important to Harry in some way.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Harry PoV

As I watched the two bodies float up and away from me after finally fighting off the merpeople and freeing them, I felt the burning in my lungs return. This time I couldn't ignore it and it got worse, more and more painful by the second. The vision began to blur and blackness crept in at the edges.

As I sank limply down into the depths of the Black Lake, unable to summon any energy to do anything to save myself, I caught sight of the fair blonde hair of the young girl that was now almost out of sight in the gloom and my mind drifted to another blonde.

Draco... His hair was lighter than that girl's was, so light in fact that it could be mistaken for white or silver in some lights, but I knew it was blonde. I had run my fingers through that soft hair and felt it tickling my skin. Since we'd began our crazy friendship, Draco had been using less and less of whatever he used to use in his hair to keep it looking perfect so that now he hardly used any at all yet I thought it looked even more perfect. Strands would sometimes fall into his face and he'd gracefully push them back and when I touched the platinum strands, there was barely a trace of the almost greasy feel there had been at the beginning of the year.

Draco... As images of the beautiful boy filled my mind, I realised something. If I died, what would happen to Draco? The miserable, terrified and broken boy that he had been at the beginning of the year was starting to slowly be replaced by a happier, calmer, amazing boy that I had never known existed before this year and, as weird as it still seemed to me, that boy was my boyfriend. I'd never thought of myself as gay before, in fact I hadn't really considered my sexuality at all, just assuming I was straight, but with Draco it didn't matter. He wasn't Draco the boy, he was just Draco and I... I loved him. I was surprised by how easy it was to admit that and how true I found it to be. I did love him. I really did love Draco Malfoy.

Looking back, I guess it made sense really. Despite everything that had happened since my first day at Hogwarts, hardly a day had gone by during which I hadn't thought about the blonde Slytherin. It may not have been in a romantic way at the time but still, Draco had always been a permanent fixture in my brain whether I'd noticed it or not. But now, as I looked back on the past three years, I realised that ever since I had first seen Malfoy in Madam Malkin's when we were both purchasing our first sets of Hogwarts robes, I had been enjoying, almost craving, other boy's attention.

No one had ever held my attention like the blonde boy and I was sure that no one else had made me feel as much, feel as alive, as Draco had. It almost seemed obvious to me now that there would be something between us. All the passion we had for each other had been misdirected to fighting... but now it had another outlet.

If I died, who would help Draco through his nightmares and the mornings after one? Who would work to change Draco's opinion of himself that had been so drastically twisted by his father's stupidity? Who would support him through all the shit that he was having to deal with? Would Draco tell anyone else? I knew Draco and I was sure that he would just try to deal with it all on his own, not telling anyone or letting anyone help him. No one could deal with what Draco was alone. He needed me and I was not going to let him down. He had told me once that, when he was in that horrendous situation over the summer, he had dreamed that I would save him from it all, sometimes even calling out to me as he endured the agony his father was subjecting him to, pleading for me to save him and there was absolutely nothing I could do because I hadn't even known. This time, however, I would not leave him. He loved me, I knew that now, and I would not abandon him to deal with all this on his own this time.

Summoning the last remnants of energy I could gather, I raised my wand and cast a silent Accendio. I sped towards the surface, broke through and flew through the air before landing hard on the platform. The impact winded me for a moment then I started coughing and spluttering, lungs still burning as I tried desperately to fill them with the oxygen my body needed so badly. I was shivering uncontrollably and coughing painfully but as I sat there, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by Gryffindors, I was looking frantically around for a certain Slytherin. As soon as I caught sight of the blonde I relaxed a little and our eyes met. The steely grey eyes soften and I could clearly see relief flooding the other boy as well as some remaining panic and sadness. I gave him a somewhat shaky reassuring smile and received a small smile for my efforts.

After being thanked by Fleur, who thankfully turned out to be safe, and learning that I had been given credit for saving not only Ron but Fleur's sister too and so had been awarded a higher place in the tournament than I'd expected. To be honest, I wasn't that bothered about my rank in the tournament. I hadn't wanted to enter it anyway and only minutes ago I had been absolutely convinced I was going to die so merely living was satisfying enough for me. Also, I had just realised I was in love with another boy which, though not as shocking as it perhaps should have been, still had me a little off balance.

_*changes begin*_

I was led back to the Gryffindor tower by Hermione and Ron who were, though also wet and cold, for the most part fine since they had not been properly conscious most of the time and so not affected by the cold to the extent that I had been. However, we were intercepted by Barty Crouch. I wasn't really listening as he spoke, too focused on the burning in his muscles and the contrasting freezing feeling, but when Mad Eye Moody approached and began talking, I became more alert. There was something wrong and, when Crouch suddenly stepped forward, right into Moody's personal space, he seemed shocked and slightly scared. He stalked off, Moody also leaving seconds later.

After drying off and changing into dry clothes, I felt a little better and certainly warmer than I had done for hours. Hermione, Ron and Hagrid wanted to go for a walk in the Forbidden Forest as a small celebration and I had reluctantly agreed to keep them happy despite my absolute, bone deep, exhaustion. Despite that, I couldn't help smiling as they happily sang the Hogwarts song somewhere off to my left. A black hat amongst the leaves on the forest floor caught my attention. My smile faltered and fell as pain shot through my head, originating from the legendary scar on my forehead and my heart almost stopped when I promptly saw feet nearby. Creeping hesitantly forward with my heart in my throat, I gathered my courage and looked around the tree. I was unprepared for what I saw as Barty Crouch lay motionless on the ground. I called his name softly, hoping he was just sleeping though I could imagine no reason he'd be sleeping on the floor of the Forbidden Forest. Receiving no response, my heart raced and I ignored the ache in my muscles to run over to my best friends and half-giant. Hurriedly explaining the situation, I walked to the Headmaster's office in somewhat of a daze.

The hour that followed passed in a blur – the only things I remembered were the vicious little sweets, the memory in the pensieve and the confrontation with Snape. Had Neville stolen the Gillyweed from Snape's supply closet? I highly doubted it so who did?

I hoped that Draco would understand my not meeting him on the Astronomy tower tonight as I couldn't go to the Owlery to send him a note without raising suspicions and I was far too exhausted to meet him. I really did want to but I just couldn't. My muscles were still on fire despite the task being hours ago and I was shaking with both the exertion of climbing what must have been hundreds of stairs to the dorms and the shock of what had happened a mere hour or two ago. The minute I stumbled through the door to the dormitory, I collapsed on my bed, pulled the covers over myself and passed out until late the next morning.


	23. Chapter 23

No PoV

"-had to save the person most important to them-"

"Did you see? Harry Potter saved Ron Weasley. That's so gay!"

"-saving their most precious person from the lake-"

"I can't believe that Granger girl is close enough to Viktor Krum to be his precious person! She's so lucky!"

This was the favourite topic of the entire school and it was all Draco could hear at the Slytherin table that morning. He wished he could make them all shut up but that would be suspicious and his father would certainly hear about it somehow. Really though, was there nothing else to talk about in this school? Did they have to talk about the second task all the time?

When Draco thought rationally about it for a moment, he knew that it was normal to be interested in the tri-wizard tournament considering it was dangerous and probably the most exciting thing that would happen this year. To other people, it was great entertainment. Draco, however, couldn't enjoy it like the other students. He spent almost all of his worrying about Harry and this last task was even worse. The gossip was going to drive him crazy just by fuelling his own thoughts so that they were all he could think about. Ron was still Harry's most important person. This task had proved to Draco what he had already suspected which was that, despite being Harry's boyfriend, he was still not more important to Harry than his friends.

Draco had always been bemused by Harry's immense closeness and loyalty to his friends in previous years. The blonde boy's friendships were based on a mutual benefit from the relationship. He would get something from them and they would in return get something from him and that was always how he had thought friendships worked. For example, Crabbe and Goyle – they were not at all the kind of people Draco would choose to be friends with, just mindlessly following orders with not an original thought in their head unless it consisted of some sort of sugar filled food – they effectively acted as bodyguards to Draco and in return, they pleased their parents by being on Lucius Malfoy's good side and being 'friends' with the Malfoy heir.

It wasn't a very satisfying kind of relationship but it was practical, kept his father happy and it was really all he'd ever known. However, all that changed when he met Harry four years ago. He was so dedicated to his friends and it utterly bemused Draco for a long time. The black haired boy stood up for them, often getting more angry when they were insulted than when he was insulted himself which made no sense to Draco, he seemed to genuinely want to spend time with them and they always seemed to be together. The blonde haired boy couldn't comprehend how they could spend so much time together and not want to kill each other! He tried to spend as little time with his so-called friends as possible.

That was gradually changing though, after he met Harry. Throughout the first and second years at Hogwarts, he had been confused by Harry's friendships but, strangely, during the second year, he began to understand. It wasn't that he started to like his 'friends' more, or even that he made any new friends, but he did start to understand. Unbeknownst to him at the time, it was not friendship he was understanding. Draco wanted to spend time with Harry, talk to him and learn about the boy. He got angry when he heard people insult the green eyed boy and said boy was showing up in his thoughts frequently.

Then at the beginning of their third year, he became utterly confused once again. The blonde wanted to spend as much time as possible with Harry, he wanted to help the other boy and do things for him yet he wanted nothing in return. The black haired, green eyed boy barely left his mind at all and the thoughts became more and more inappropriate for him to be having about another boy, especially Harry Potter of all people. Draco's view of the boy changed and 'cute', 'handsome' and 'attractive', words he hadn't really used to describe anyone before, became words he couldn't help associating with the Gryffindor. He wanted to run his fingers gently through the mussed black locks and just stare into the intense emerald depths and it was then, when he could no longer repress these thoughts and feelings, that he realised what he was feeling may be more than just the hope of friendship. Draco Malfoy was falling for Harry Potter... and he was falling hard.

Draco had been stupid to think that Harry could feel anywhere near as strongly as he did. He could never be more important to the other boy than his friends and Draco wanted to kick himself for being so naïve as to think that he could.

Really this was a good thing, Draco told himself. This task had showed him his mistake and brought him back down to earth – he had been living with his head in the clouds for weeks and he realised that now. He needed to face the facts. He was tainted, dirty, ruined. Pathetic, paranoid and disgusting. Who could ever love him if even his own father couldn't? Why would the famous Harry Potter fall in love with someone like him? Harry might be able to accept that he'd been raped without being completely disgusted by him but that didn't mean he could ever love him despite it. As far as he knew, Harry wasn't even gay anyway!

Draco didn't see Harry that day and he spent the rest of that day feeling kind of numb. He had started off upset, on the verge of crying, that morning but as the day wore on and he suppressed his feelings more and more, he actually... started to not feel anymore. He went through the motions of the day but his heart wasn't in it and his mind was elsewhere.

Sitting at the Slytherin table for dinner that night, an owl flew down and landed next to his plate. Draco was almost not surprised by it at this point although he was sure that one day someone would ask who the owls were from. He guessed they thought it was his parents or something, the blonde thought with a shudder. He took the note from the owls beak and idly petted it as he unfolded the small piece of paper. He recognised the scrawl immediately.

_I'll be waiting for you in the Astronomy tower tonight at 10pm._

_H.P_

He read the note with a small smile before he quashed it. He couldn't get his hopes up. He'd meet Harry and tell him that they needed to stop this. They needed to end their relationship. It absolutely killed him to even think about him but he had to! He was just wasting the black haired boy's time and he was hurting himself at the same time. The Slytherin was torturing himself with his thoughts and all these doubts about Harry's feelings and it would just be easier to go back to how it was. He could just go on like today, not feeling anything and going through the motions.

He would meet with Harry tonight and tell him how he felt. He didn't feel right about ending their relationship without a word so, despite how difficult he knew it would be, he had to talk to the other boy.

**Broken Like An Angel**

When 10 o'clock arrived, Draco was sitting in the Astronomy tower, waiting impatiently for the green eyed boy to appear. At the quiet creak of the door, Draco whipped round to face the other boy.

"Harry."

"Hey Draco." Harry said, a trace of nervousness in his tone that confused Draco. "I'm glad you came. I'm sorry I didn't meet you after the second task yesterday but I was so exhausted and my whole body was aching like crazy so by the time I finally got back to the Gryffindor tower, I just fell straight to sleep. I hope you didn't wait up for me."

"It's fine. I'm sure you were busy with Hermione and Ron." Draco tried to ignore how he accidentally spat the ginger boy's name.

"I wasn't busy with them Draco, I was exhausted." His tone indicted a hint of annoyance that Draco didn't believe him.

"Sure. Anyway, there's something I... need to tell you." The blonde boy muttered, suddenly regretting this idea. So what if Harry wasn't as committed to the relationship as he was? This way he got to spend time with Harry and that's all he could ask for... right? It was his fault for being gay. If he wanted to be in a happy, committed relationship, he should do so with a girl and this was just the price to pay for choosing to have a relationship with another boy.

"There's something I need to tell you as well. You go first." Harry replied seriously.

"Well... Ummm... I don't think... we should go out anymore..." The Slytherin mumbled, part of him hoping that the other boy wouldn't hear him.

"You... what? Draco, are you breaking up with me?" The surprise and hurt in the Gryffindor's voice made Draco regret it even more and he could only manage an almost imperceptible nod. "Why? W-what did I do?"

"No! You didn't do anything. It's not your fault." The blonde replied emphatically.

"Then what is it? You said you loved me but now you're breaking up with me after only a few days. Did going out with me make you realise that you don't actually love me after all?" Harry, said, trying not to yell with the emotions welling up inside him. Just as he had figured out how he he felt about the other boy and was going to tell him, the blonde changed his mind about them!

"No! That's not it! It's just..." Draco trailed off, not wanting to tell Harry that he was jealous that the second task had shown that the Weasley boy was more important tot he Gryffindor than he was.

"It's just what Draco? Tell me." Harry demanded.

"Well the point of the second task was to save... your most important person, right? So that means that Weasley is the most important person to you..." Draco mumbled, embarrassed.

It took a moment for Harry to understand exactly what the other boy meant by that, but when he did, a small smile appeared on his face.

"So you think that because Ron was in the lake and not you, you must not be important to me?"

"Well... yeah. It make sense. Am I wrong?"

"Yes Draco, you are completely wrong. Dumbledore summoned Ron, Hermione and the others himself because they were, to his knowledge, the most important people to the champions. But that's the point; to his knowledge. He doesn't know about us." Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around the other boy, hoping it didn't freak him out, because he just couldn't help himself. "Can I tell you what I wanted to say now?"

Draco snaked his arms around the Gryffindor's waist and nodded against his chest.

"Draco, I love you."

The blonde looked up sharply, mouth agape and unable to form a coherent sentence. "A-are you... s-serious?"

Harry chuckled a little at the pure shock on the other boy's face although he was saddened by the disbelief that was also visible there. "Yes Draco. I'm absolutely serious."

"But... but why would you? I'm disgusting and pathetic." Draco mumbled sadly.

"No you're not, you're gorgeous and strong. Something terrible happened to you that should never happen to anyone and you dealt with it. I love you Draco Malfoy and I'll say it as many times as I need to so that you believe it."

The Slytherin returned his head to its resting place and hugged the green eyed boy tightly, unable to find any words that could even begin to convey how he felt at that moment; unbelievably happy, calm and yet still a little doubt nudged at the back of his mind telling him that Harry was wrong. He ignored it and a comfortable silence fell over the couple for a moment before Draco's whisper broke it once again.

"I love you too Harry. I have done for years."


	24. Chapter 24

No POV

Sitting there, in the arms of the boy he loved, Draco could almost imagine that everything was fine. He could pretend that the summer had never happened and that nothing was wrong but he knew he could only pretend for so long before something made it all come back.

Gazing out at the night sky and smiling at the feel of fingers running idly through his hair, not even caring that the platinum strands were getting messed up, he was content. The cool night breeze made him shiver a little but it passed quickly and the comfortable temperature returned. It was unusually warm considering the time of year so both boys had discarded their robes (and invisibility cloak in Harry's case) to enjoy the crisp night air.  
They were currently sat in the Astronomy tower, side by side, Draco leaning on Harry who had wrapped his arms around him. The Slytherin leaned further into the embrace and sighed happily as he felt the other boy's arms squeeze him lightly.

"Hey Harry. Why are you still friends with Weasley? I mean, if he was really your best friend, he wouldn't have ignored you just because you're a champion in the tri-wizard tournament. He should know you well enough to know that you wouldn't put your own name in the goblet. I knew that and I'd only been friends with you for a few weeks." Draco asked, sounding more curious than accusing.

"Well, despite what you think, he actually is quite a good friend and we have fun but I admit that you're right about him being rather... tempermental. It's just... he was my first ever friend. Well unless you count a snake I once had a conversation with and accidentally freed from the zoo as a kid." Harry explained, laughing at the memory before continuing. "I met him on the way to the Hogwarts Express because his family help me figure out where to go. I had no idea what I was doing! I had grown up as a muggle for 10 years so I was completely overhwelmed and confused."

"So you mean, if I had been the one to show you the way to the platform, we might not have wasted 3 years being enemies?" Draco said a little sadly.

"Hmmm... I guess so." Harry replied.

Comfortable silence fell over the 2 boys again and grey eyes drooped closed for what felt like only a moment before they snapped open at the sound of a door creaking open nearby.

Eyes now wide open, Draco looked around frantically at Harry and then the door which was now slightly agar. Harry put a finger to his lips in a sign to keep quiet and Draco did so, panic not having diminished at all. the black haired boy carefully released the blonde and stood slowly, creeping towards the door. As he did so, it creaked once again and opened slightly more. Turning and quietly walking back, Harry drew near to Draco and leaned to whisper to the boy. The Slytherin tried to ignore the feeling of hot breath on his ear and focus on the situation at hand.

"It's Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Get under the invisibility cloak and we'll sneak past Filch before he knows we're here." Draco nodded and walked as quietly as he could to where they had left their things. Harry was following close behind him and they retrieved their robes and draped the cloak over themselves when it came into their reach. Making sure that they were both completely covered, they crept over to the door and slowly pulled it open. Mrs Norris was prowling around outside the door but she stopped and looked up at the sound of the door. Shuffling quickly past, the two boys hoped she hadn't smelled them or heard their footsteps but they didn't wait around to find out. They knew Filch would be near by, doing patrol with his precious cat, so they sped up but kept their footsteps quiet.

Draco almost toppled over when Harry stopped abruptly at a corner. There was light coming from round the corner, probably from Filch's lantern. Harry poked his head round the corner and Draco remained as still as he could, despite the fact that they were both invisible. The other boy then began to creep around the corner and down the corridor, Draco hurrying a little to catch up and not be left behind with no cloak and in plain view.

Scurrying past, Draco felt adrenaline rush through him and he almost grinned when they made it around the corner at the other end of the corridor and away from Filch and his cat.

Harry led them up and down staircases and through more corridors before finally bursting through the huge wooden double doors that led outside the school.

"Harry, why are we out here? It's freezing!" Draco whined with a shiver.

Harry chuckled quietly and wrapped his arms around the blonde boy gently in an attempt to warm them both up a little.

Sitting down not far from the doors, the boy sat, arms around each other for a while before finally the cold became more than they could ignore. They both knew they had to go back to their common rooms but neither wanted to.

"So I guess we'd better go then..." Draco mumbled.

"Yeah, I guess we should." Harry replied reluctantly.

Impulsively, Draco wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's neck, pulling him in close and kissing him. It started out gently and loving but quickly became desperate, their tongues meeting, dancing and exploring, neither boy wanting to pull away. Eventually the need for air meant they had to so they parted but remained mere millimetres from each other, warm breath hitting the other's face in a stark contrast to the frigid winter air.

As his fingers strayed down and neared the hem of the Slytherin's shirt, Harry inhaled sharply and stepped back, knowing that any longer like this and he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to touch Draco more than the blonde would be comfortable with. He hated the idea of scaring the other boy like that but he knew his control might break if they didn't stop now.

"I'll walk you back to your common room." Harry said.

"Ok, thanks." Draco mumbled, confused about Harry's sudden withdrawal.

They didn't speak during the walk to the Slytherin common room, both boys unwilling to break the silence in the castle for fear of being discovered. Upon reaching it, Harry placed a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead and whispered "Good night" before turning and walking away, leaving a bemused Draco in plain sight as he took the invisibility cloak with him. He heard a soft 'good night' from behind him as he left.


	25. Chapter 25

Harry's PoV

_~Dream begins~_

_I looked at the scene before me with no idea where I was actually watching from. Three men were standing in the room, two of whom I recognised from the dream I had before the Quidditch World Cup and the other from the day itself._

_One man was instantly recognisable as Lucius Malfoy. He was sporting the expensive robes and the familiar platinum blonde hair that I so loved on another man but hated the similarity on the elder Malfoy in front of me and I felt rage build up inside me at the mere sight of the man with the knowledge of what he had done._

_One of the other men was hidden by a cloak but still I could easily tell who it was. Bony hands, barely covered by thin, taut, grey skin emerged from the draping sleeves of the cloak, a large snake coiled and hissed at the figure's feet and the scar on my forehead erupted in burning pain._

_The third man in the room was fully visible yet still I struggled to believe what I saw. I had only seen the man three times before and never in person but I knew it was him. His tongue flicked out every now and then and his eyes held a crazed glint. Barty Crouch Junior, who had supposedly been arrested and imprisoned in Azkaban, was standing before me in a dream yet again._

_As the men began to speak, I listened trying to gather all I could of the conversation. However, I could only hear small parts of what was said._

_"How are things going at Hogwarts?" Lucius drawled in his usual arrogant tone._

_"I have suspicions that your little freak may be beginning to get along with the boy." Barty Crouch Jr sneered with another flick of his tongue that made him resemble the serpent currently slithering around the legs of the only chair in the room seating the cloaked figure._

_'At Hogwarts? How does he know what's happening at Hogwarts? He should be in Azkaban! Who are the freak and the boy? Is that me and Draco? How dare they call Draco Lucius' little freak!' I thought as rage swelled up anew inside me._

_"Well, no matter. He knows what he must do. I made sure he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon... He's only making harder for himself and more entertaining for me." The elder Malfoy drawled with a smug and sadistic smirk._

_~Dream ends~_

My eyes snapped open and I sat up abruptly, looking around. I breathed a small sigh of relief to find myself still in Gryffindor boys' dorms. I could feel a light sheen of sweat making my pyjamas stick to my skin and my breathing was faster than usual.

'Were they talking about Draco? If so, why? Why did Crouch Jr. say that he was suspicious Draco's getting closer to me? What prompted me to dream something like that all of a sudden anyway? I hadn't had a dream like that since August... shortly before the Death Eater attack at the Quidditch World Cup... Did that mean anything? Is it some kind of precursor to something bad happening?'

**Broken Like An Angel**

After a quick shower, I had proceeded to breakfast and classes as usual but I had been preoccupied thinking about the dream for the rest of the day. I didn't tell Hermione or Ron – I knew what they would say without having to. Ron would say something like "It's just a dream, mate. Forget about it. Hey, have you done the essay for Charms?!" and Hermione would the contradict him by saying "It may only be a dream but I don't think you should forget about it. It's happened before and it might mean something. I think I once read something about..." and then go into a lecture about some book she read that was vaguely related to my problem.

Not only that but, by telling them about this particular dream, I'd have to tell them at least a little about my relationship with Draco and I had no idea how they would react to that news.

Normally, with anyone else, I would think that Ron would react a little irrationally and get angry about me not telling them sooner while Hermione would be sensible and polite but this was Malfoy and that changed everything.

He had been insulting and degrading both Ron and Hermione's families for the past three and a half years now and I didn't think that would be so easily forgiven or forgotten.

I considered telling Draco but it was hard to know how he would react to mention of his father, especially when they could have been talking about him. The Slytherin had been doing better recently and I didn't want to do anything that could jeopardise that progress.

I could clearly recall the blonde's lack of enthusiasm and motivation about everything only weeks ago. He had asked me why he had to bother going to Potions class, which had always been his favourite class,  
saying that he didn't care about it and it didn't matter. He had said that nothing mattered. It had affected me more than I had expected to see Draco so hopeless and despondent and I didn't want to see him like that ever again. I had been worried for a while that he might try jumping off the Astronomy tower again or something. Some nights, I hadn't slept properly from worry, instead spending the nights tossing and turning with terrible possibilities flooding my mind, each worse than the last and my days were spent watching the blonde for anything that might show he would try the unthinkable.

But he was past that now, right? Draco had been more enthusiastic and hadn't been showing any signs of thinking about jumping again, in fact,  
he actually seemed quite happy so maybe it would be alright to tell him... or maybe it would bring back memories to him and push him straight back into the depths of despair that he had only just managed to climb out of.

This dilemma had also been plaguing me throughout the day and as I walked into the great hall with Hermione and Ron for dinner, I still hadn't figured it out. I was torn between trusting Draco's strength and wanting someone to talk to about it, and despising the very idea that I could cause him a relapse into that dark place he'd been stuck in before and the possibility that I might not be able to pull him out of it... or at least not in time.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Walking hesitantly to the Astronomy tower, I began to question my decision. I had only made it moments ago but already, it seemed like the wrong choice. The other, however, also presented problems and I was just utterly confused with no one to talk to about it all. I was sure that the only way I'd made it through all the shit that had happened in the last 3 years was because I hadn't been in it alone. I'd always had Hermione or Ron to talk to, or if that wasn't an option, the other Gryffindors. Even Malfoy's taunting had been a brief reprieve from the stresses of the years but none of those were possible. I couldn't tell anyone about what was going on and while Draco wasn't the broken boy he had been at the beginning of the year, he was not yet ready for insults or mocking – he was still far too self-conscious and afraid of offending and losing me that even harmless teasing was rare – and it left me feeling isolated and completely overwhelmed.

Forcefully pushing my conflicting thoughts to one side, I pushed the door open and stepped through to see Draco already there waiting for me.  
Despite my tumultuous feelings, a small smile still crept onto my face at the sight of the platinum blonde hair, pale skin and steely grey eyes. The smile was returned when Draco saw me.

"Hi." The Slytherin said softly.

"Hey." I greeted in reply, sitting down next to my boyfriend. The word still sounded strange to me when I used it to refer to Draco, yet it wasn't a bad kind of strange. It was scary, confusing, exciting,  
uplifting and weird, but it wasn't bad.

"You seem bothered by something. What's wrong?" The blonde asked with concern.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong Draco." I replied, somewhat unconvincingly but I hope the other boy wouldn't notice.

"Don't lie to me, Harry. Don't you trust me? After all of the things I've told you, do you not trust me enough to tell me what's making you upset?" Draco asked, sounding angry but mostly just hurt and I hated to be the cause of that.

"Of course I trust you! I love you Draco and I trust you more than anyone else in the world! Please don't doubt that."

"Then why won't you tell me?" The blonde demanded. I couldn't help the flash of pride I felt that Draco could demand something like that now.  
In previous years I might have done anything to have stopped him, but now I was happy he felt safe enough to do that without thinking I would hate him or hurt him for it.

"I just... I don't want to risk bringing up any bad memories for you."

"So you're just going to be upset instead?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. That was the idea."

"You really are too selfless for your own good sometimes, Potter." The Slytherin chastised hesitantly, nervousness obvious.

I laughed a little and reveled in the cautious smile that appeared on Draco's face before replying. "Yeah, maybe."

"So are you going to tell me?" Draco asked, a little impatiently.

"I guess... Only if you're sure though. And you'll tell me if it starts to trigger anything?" I asked, still not fully convinced this was a good idea.

"Yes Harry. You don't need to worry quite so much. I've been doing better, right?"

"Well yes but that doesn't mean you're completely better now. We still need to be careful."

"I know that better than anyone but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you be upset just because you won't talk to me about it. I'm your boyfriend, remember? You should be able to tell me anything."

"...OK." I agreed, somewhat reluctantly. I knew I should trust Draco if he said he was fine with it – I wasn't lying when I said I trust Draco more than anyone else, even Ron or Hermione – but I also knew that he couldn't tell what would trigger a memory. "Well I had a dream. I saw Voldemort, a man called Barty Crouch Junior and... your father." I waited a moment to see Draco's reaction before I carried on. He seemed to be struggling with something and then his expression turned thoughtful for a few seconds.

"Barty Crouch Junior... as in Barty Crouch from the ministry's son?" I nodded. "Wasn't he sent to Azkaban?"

"Supposedly, yes. It's just a dream though so I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." I said to reassure both him and myself.

"So what were they doing? Was it a... Death Eater meeting?" Draco asked,  
unsure about talking about this.

"No, it was just the three of them. They were just talking..." I hoped the blonde wouldn't ask what they were talking about but of course, he did.

"What were they saying?"

"I couldn't really hear much and the dream wasn't very long. I... I think they were talking about me and you though." I paused, still worrying about Draco. "Your father said you know what you need to do and you're just making it more difficult for yourself." I said slowly,  
carefully watching the blonde's reaction for any signs of distress and saw none.

Unbeknownst to me, said blonde was fighting to repress memories that were struggling to surface in his mind.

"Well, it was just a dream. Nothing to worry about. Just your mind own trying to scare you I imagine." Draco rambled.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said, still slightly doubtful. I couldn't figure it out or explain it. I just got the undeniable feeling that this wasn't just a dream that meant nothing, and I shouldn't just forget it. I was sure it was important somehow.

"We should really be getting back to the dorms now. It's late and we have classes tomorrow. Good night Harry." The Slytherin said curtly.

"Oh... well, OK. Night Draco." I replied, confusion seeping into my tone as the other boy turned and began to leave.

I didn't see the tormented look that spread across his face when he turned or the build up of tears in his eyes, only his black-robe clad back as he walked away.


	26. Chapter 26

Draco's POV

Running to the Slytherin common room, mentally pleading that I wouldn't get caught, I fled from Harry. Bursting through the entrance, I continued running through the deserted common room until I finally reached my dorm. At this point, I had to slow down and carefully enter the room. Seeing that everyone was still asleep, I collapsed onto my bed and drew my curtains, spelled with a silencing charm, around me. Instantly, the tears I had been desperately holding back began to stream down my face and my breathing became rapid.  
Eventually, with a sore throat and red eyes, I cried myself to sleep.

_~Dream begins~_

_This time was different. Usually, I was woken to find my father kneeling over me. This time it was done by an abrupt punch to the stomach. I gasped in pain and my eyes flew open. Blinking rapidly to try to clear the blurriness remaining from sleep and struggling for air, I recognized the form of my father above me like every other time, and there was a burning pain radiating from my abdomen._

_"Hello Draco." My father sneered. "Did you enjoy our little meeting today?" An evil smirk appeared on his face and I knew immediately what he was talking about - The Death Eater meeting I had been forced to attend that day. It wasn't something I would forget easily. "You know what you have to do now, don't you? You have to help kill Harry. The boy you love so very much and you're going to kill him." Lucius spat before chuckling darkly. "It's perfect. Can you even imagine how much he'll hate you as the life leaves his body?"_

_"No... S-stop it! Please... just stop." I pleaded. I knew it would only anger him further but I couldn't bear to listen to his verbal torture any longer, not to mention the physical pain that would no doubt follow. It was only made worse that I had in fact imagined how much Harry would utterly loathe me, though by my traitorous mind's choice rather than my own. Almost every scenario, however, ended with Harry furiously cursing me to death rather than dying himself._

_Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face and sobs and sniffles were loud in the quiet of night. I was sure my father would have cast a silencing charm on the room like he always seemed to but couldn't bring myself to care either way. If he'd forgotten, someone might come to save me. A heavy blow to my side made me gasp in pain once again and fight for oxygen to fill my lungs. I thought I felt a rib crack but I could have been wrong._

_"A Malfoy sobbing like that... Do you know how pathetic you are? You're completely useless. My only son is a good-for-nothing, worthless ponce. You're an embarrassment to the entire family." My father snarled and, though I hadn't thought it possible, I began to cry even more which only made him angrier. "If the Dark Lord saw you right now, He'd kill you in a second. You should be grateful that your dear father is so generous as to keep it a secret."_   
_In another situation, I would have laughed at my father's blatant lies and arrogance but, at that moment, I couldn't even remember what I was like to laugh nor what it felt like to be happy enough to do so. I knew that Father's reasons for keeping his actions a secret were purely to benefit him. It would bring shame on the family if it was revealed that the heir to the family was gay and it was possible that the Dark Lord would dismiss our family from his ranks if He were to learn of it._

**_~Mature content begins~_ **

_"The best part of all is that he'll think he's escaped." Father said, continuing a topic he had become distracted from by his insults towards me._   
_I had barely registered the feeling of cool air hitting my abused skin before unbearable pain filled my mind. Somehow, this pain was worse than ever before as the elder Malfoy buried himself completely inside me with the first thrust. I could think of nothing else other than the agony as my vision blurred and darkened and I felt hot, sticky fluid which I knew to be blood, dribbling down my legs._

**_~Mature content ends~_ **

_As my sight failed and my brain began to give up, I knew I wouldn't last much longer. At the time, I had not known whether it was unconsciousness or death that awaited me but I hadn't much cared. Now, reliving it in a horrendously vivid nightmare, I knew that it was only unconsciousness taking over due to the intolerable pain. I would sleep late into the following afternoon but I would wake, so this time I heard something I hadn't before._   
_As blackness took over, Father jeered, "He'll think he's won but really the portkey will transport him to his death." Father laughed manically. "He'll think he got through the tournament safely but just as he touches the cup, arrogant about his victory because no tournament could ever kill the famous Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, he'll be sent to die at the hands of the Dark Lord himself." He laughed again, a dark and crazed laugh that would haunt me for weeks to come though I would not remember the night itself, as my vision blacked, pain and unconsciousness overwhelming me._

_~Dream ends~_

Jolting forwards with a loud gasp, I breathed heavily and looked frantically around. I breathed a slight sigh of relief to see the familiar curtains surrounding my bed at Hogwarts but that knowledge couldn't calm me completely.

I don't remember that happening... I was on the brink of unconsciousness for most of it but how could I have forgotten what my father had said at the end before the maniacal laughter that had terrorized me for weeks following that night?!

Quickly grabbing what I needed, I ran up stairs and round corners before bursting through the door to the prefects' bathroom. Twisting the taps to fill the bath with hot, steaming water, I cautiously removed my clothes and slipped into the tub. My reflexes told me to get out, away from the scalding water but I endured, determined to burn the dirty feeling off of my skin. Only when my skin was an angry shade of red did I begin to consider my thoughts.

I had been trying not to think about what I had just learned but I knew I had to. This wasn't the kind of thing one could just ignore. I had to somehow choose between killing the boy I loved or being killed, or worse, subjected to a repeat of summer or maybe even worse for betraying the Dark Lord. My father and the rest of our family would be a laughing stock if the Death Eaters found out that I, Draco Malfoy, had betrayed possibly the most powerful wizard in history because I was in love with none other than Harry Potter, the boy the Death Eaters were trying to kill. Every time I decided to do what was right and warn Harry, flashes of memories from the summer would return, reminding me of the debilitating agony that would undoubtedly be the result of betrayal. Then my mind procured images of Harry staring at me with absolute hatred burning in his eyes or him lying motionless in death and I couldn't control the tears that flooded my cheeks.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Once I had finally regained control of myself, I had redressed and sprinted to the only place I felt I could go. However, now, standing in front of the suddenly very imposing door, I became unsure. Would he really not mind? It is very early in the morning after all – certainly not a time for unexpected guests to be knocking. Biting my lower lip as I contemplated the dilemma, I finally found the courage to raise a fist and rap hesitantly on the wood.

Hearing grumbling and cursing from the other side, I considered running but my need for comfort won out. Clearly, I had become too dependent on Harry. As the door swung open, I was met with a glare that made me tremble slightly and I took a few steps backward.  
Upon seeing my obvious distress, the man's features soften and annoyance was replaced by concern. With a wave of his hand, I was invited through the door and it was closed behind me.


	27. Chapter 27

As soon as the door closed behind him, Draco broke down. Tears streamed down his cheeks once again and sobs to strong for him to stifle, escaped his lips. Snape stood immobile a few feet away in shock as he watched his godson cry his heart out. He'd never seen Draco like this before and couldn't even begin to think what could have made him so distraught. After a few minutes, Severus overcame his surprise and walked to the young boy, crouching beside him and putting an arm somewhat awkwardly around thin, shaking shoulders. The elder male didn't speak for a moment and the air was filled with the sounds of sobs and sniffling until Snape finally spoke up.

"Draco, come and sit down." He said as softly as he could and led the stumbling blonde to the couch. The boy slumped down on it when they came near but the tears and hiccup sounds didn't cease. The potions master sat down beside his godson at a loss of what to do. The couch was surprisingly comfortable and the two males practically sank into it as they sat there but neither cared at that moment. Draco had his head in his hands, curled up in a ball with his feet up on the couch in front of him and Snape was perched stiffly next to him.

Gathering the courage to attempt a conversation with the boy, Severus spoke. "Draco, what's happened?" His only reply was a loud, rasping sob. It pained the black haired man to see the blonde so miserable and even more so when he seemed unable to make him feel any better.  
Then he realised, his speciality was potions so why not utilise that? Standing up, he walked over to a cabinet at the side of the room. Easily finding the object of his interest within the orderly rows, he grabbed it and closed the cabinet, walking back to the couch.

"Draco." The boy shifted a little but didn't look up and his small body continued to shake. "Take this. It's a calming draught. It's impossible to talk to you while you're in this state." Snape explained as kindly as he could. Comfort was not a talent of his by any means... but this was his godson so he was damn well going to try!

**Broken Like An Angel**

As he cried, Draco was aware of his godfather's attempts to help but he just... couldn't. Couldn't talk, couldn't stop crying and mostly, couldn't stop recalling the nightmare that was his own reality and had led to this humiliating situation. The blonde had never fallen apart in front of anyone except Harry. Completely understanding, non-judgemental, love-of-his-life Harry Potter who didn't care if Draco was moody, miserable and an absolute mess. Severus, however, though definitely not to the same extent, shared more of Lucius' ideas than Harry's and, as much as he loved the man, the young Slytherin was unsure how his godfather would respond to the sobbing wreck that currently was Draco Malfoy. Most importantly, would he tell his father?

When he heard the offer of calming draught, the blonde considered it for a moment. He didn't really want to resort to potions every time he had a nightmare, but he couldn't deny that it would be a lot easier to speak to Severus if he did take it. Normally, Harry could calm him down even if he was nearing a full blown panic attack or crying hysterically... but Harry isn't here, Draco realised with another shaky sob. This realisation was what made him reach out and quickly take the small potion phial from the slightly startled potions master and swallow it down in two gulps. Breathing out unsteadily, he felt the draught begin to take effect. A few stray tears still leaked from his eyes before the full effect took over but moments later, Draco sat on the couch feeling almost normal again.

**Broken Like An Angel**

"What's going on Draco?" Severus asked with concern.

Taking a deep breath, the boy readied himself for the conversation ahead of him. "I had a nightmare... or a memory I guess would be more accurate."

"About what? It's not like you to get so upset over some nightmare." Severus asked, obviously still not understanding. Of course, Draco couldn't expect him to since he hadn't really explained anything yet.

"Well... over the summer... I was... ummm... you know what, it doesn't matter. I'll just go back to bed." The blonde stammered and began to stand a little shakily.

"Sit down. Just take you time and tell me what happened."

Draco cautiously sat back down and adopted a slightly more relaxed version of his previous position, with his legs up on the couch and his back leaning against the back cushions. "Well I guess I should start by telling you that... since I was a child, my father has always... punished me if I did something to displease him. Father's punishments consist of.. quite a beating..." Draco mumbled, half hoping the older man wouldn't hear him despite the near silence in the room. He took another deep breath in and continued before he lost his confidence. "Over the summer, however, it got worse. He got really angry and for the first time... he... he-" The boy was cut off by a loud sob escaping as he struggled not to relive that first time. Tears filled his eyes but he didn't let them fall.

"He did what?" Severus asked, voice full of concern. He'd never seen Draco so upset and even the calming draught hadn't calmed him completely.

"He... he r-raped me." The young Slytherin whispered. Draco heard a sharp intake of breath from where the potions master was sat.

"He what?!" Severus yelled in outrage. He couldn't believe it! He knew Lucius wasn't exactly a pleasant man but he never would have thought that he would do something like... this. But why would Draco lie? The boy wouldn't lie about something like that and he definitely seemed genuinely upset, scared and, quite frankly, traumatised.

"This summer was the... first time, yes?" The potions master asked. He needed the facts if he was going to somehow do anything about this.

"Yeah but... it wasn't the only time... He did it quite a few times during the summer. I tried to fight him, I swear, but he was too strong and he caught me off guard." The blonde rambled, desperately trying to defend himself to his godfather whom he respected a great deal. He wasn't sure if he actually deserved the defence after being so weak as to allow his father to torture him like that so many times, but instinctively he did so.

"Draco, I'm not saying it's your fault. No one is." Snape reassured.

"Father did. He said... He said that I wanted him to do it and it was my fault. He said that if I really wanted him to stop then I would have made him stop and that I was just... just a pathetic little slut..." Draco whispered, followed by several hoarse sobs and the tears finally breaking free and making their way down his pale skin. "I... I was v-virgin before the summer!" The blonde cried, muffled by his hands now covering his face and scrubbing harshly at his cheeks and traitorous eyes that refused to stop the freely flowing tears.

"You don't believe that, do you?" Severus growled with barely contained rage at his  _former_ friend, feeling sick to his stomach with every word the blonde boy uttered.

"I don't believe that I wanted him to, of course, but he said it was my punishment for... for..."

"For what Draco?"

"For... being gay and... being in love with Harry Potter..." The boy mumbled. Snape could only stare at the boy in shock for a few minutes, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. Learning that Draco was gay was a surprise but the black haired man didn't really care. He didn't see anything particularly wrong with it nor did he think it was any of his business who people decided they wanted to sleep with... but to love Harry Potter of all people?! If the Dark Lord found out, he'd probably kill the boy immediately, if not do something even worse.

"Harry Potter? Why did it have to be Harry Potter?! You idiot!" Snape shouted, his worry buried under rage and panic, but immediately he felt terrible when Draco flinched and pushed himself further back on the couch, pulling his legs even closer to him so his chin was almost resting atop his knees.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't choose him!" Tears spilled faster down his cheeks as he spewed apologies and Severus felt his heart ache a little at the sorry sight in front of him and seeing how Lucius had broken his own son, the proud and confident Draco Malfoy he had previously known, leaving this vulnerable, traumatised child before him now. Anger welled up again but he suppressed it, focusing instead on trying to fix what he had accidentally done.

"Draco, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. Calm down, I'm not angry with you and I certainly wouldn't hurt you." Snape said in as soft a voice as he could muster. The blonde's sobs began to subside slightly but he couldn't stop them completely. "I didn't mean that it's your fault. You could never do anything that would justify what your father did to you. But... did it really have to be Potter?" The man sounded exhausted as he asked that question.

"I didn't choose Harry. I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't mean to fall in love with him... I just did." Draco replied, sniffing occasionally and not leaving his defensive position on the couch.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause?" Severus questioned, not really wanting to tell the boy that this unusual and unexpected romance could get him killed.

"Yes I do. It's been all I can think about. That's what my memory as about and why I came to you in the first place. I remembered father telling me their plan to... to kill Harry." The blonde said, his voice hitching on Harry's name and looking ready to cry yet again but he didn't. "If I help them, I'll be helping to kill the boy I love... but if I don't... they'll kill me, I'm sure of it. I don't know what to do!" The boy wailed, looking despairingly at his godfather.

Running through options at a million miles an hour in his head, Snape replied after a minute or two. "Does Harry know about your feelings for him?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. We're dating. He said he loves me." He mumbled and a tiny hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth, not going unnoticed by the potions master.

"Does he know about... the summer?" The black haired man asked hesitantly.

"Yes, he's been supporting me though it all since the beginning of September. He's been amazing." The blonde responded and a slight smile crept onto his face.

"Does he make you happy?" Severus asked, though he thought he already knew the answer. The evidence was right in front of him after all.

"Yes. He makes me happier than I've ever been, despite everything that's going on." The young Slytherin answered genuinely, the smile that had been fighting to get free finally curling the corners of his lips up and a small light returning to his eyes that had been missing before.

"Then... just do what makes you happy and I'll take care of the rest."

Draco released a deep sigh of relief, full of weeks of suffering, and smiled a little more. "Thanks Sev." He mumbled and Snape smiled a bit despite himself at the name. It was what the boy had called as a small child.  
Looking at the boy now, he both did and didn't resemble that child he had been al those years ago. He seemed vulnerable, small and hopeful like a child, yet the fearlessness, joy and wonder of youth was undeniably absent, replaced by darker things.

"You should head back to your dorm now or you'll be noticed." The black haired man told the boy who nodded reluctantly and stood shakily from his seat.

"Ok... Thanks Severus." The blonde whispered gratefully, turning to leave and walking, slightly unsteadily, to the door and out of the potion's master's quarters.


	28. Chapter 28

No PoV

Draco spent that entire day, after a few measly hours of sleep, worrying and questioning his early morning conversation. Talking to his godfather about it all had helped, if only by getting everything out in the open, but had only slightly lessened his confusion.

What had Severus meant when he said that he'd take care of it? Did he actually have a plan or did he just say that comfort his crying godson?

He had the utmost respect for the potions master, even more so since he had figured out that the man wasn't truly loyal to the Dark Lord, but he couldn't comprehend what Severus could possibly do about this situation. No one could stand up to the Dark Lord, of course, so there was nothing anyone could do, surely? So Draco was back to where he had started – utterly confused, with no idea what to do.

The blond boy had successfully avoided Harry for the whole day, only seeing him briefly at dinner before leaving quickly.

As he lay restlessly in his bed that evening, not feeling inclined to do anything but mope, he felt guilty for not going to the tower as he usually did but... he couldn't face Harry right now. The young Slytherin couldn't look into hose bright green eyes knowing that the determined light there could be ripped away from him without him being able to do a thing. Until he knew for sure that he could somehow save Harry, he couldn't see him.

He couldn't touch that deceptively soft mess of brown hair, couldn't feel those strong arms around him or hear soft, comforting words whispered in his ear as he cried, like he so wanted to right now. Draco wanted nothing more than to just curl up next to his boyfriend and fall to pieces... but he couldn't. Not now.

Rolling over for what must have been the hundredth time, the boy pulled a pillow towards himself, wrapping his arms around it and pitifully trying to pretend it was Harry he was hugging. Tears began to fall from his eyes yet again and create a dark spot on the fabric beneath his head but he didn't care. He sobbed, wishing that his head was resting on a toned chest rather than a squishy pillow and longing to feel fingers playing with his blond hair in the comforting way they had multiple times before. This was how he finally fell asleep hours later, throat sore, cheeks raw and eyes red.

**Broken Like An Angel**

The next few days were much the same, only varying in how many classes he and Harry shared and so the amount of time they saw each other. Draco could feel the emerald eyes bring into him in every class and saw the confusion, hurt and sadness filling their depths each time their gazes accidentally met. The Gryffindor would try to relay concerned messages with his eyes or mouth but the blond ignored them both, struggling to tear his eyes from the plump pink lips he so wanted to feel against his own once again.

He couldn't focus at all that week, though honestly his concentration had been bad all year since all this had begun. At the end of every class, Harry would try to catch Draco to see what was going on but every time he couldn't. Draco would have already fled from the room.

The nights also remained much the same as that first one, with only the strength of his longing and the duration of his tears changing with the days.

**Broken Like An Angel**

It wasn't until Friday, four days after his impromptu meeting with Snape, that this miserable routine was broken.

Obviously having somehow found out his class schedule, Harry had waited outside Draco's charms class before the class had even ended, leaving no escape from the room except the one door with Harry on the other side.

Staying longer than he usually would have, the blond waited for a bit of a crowd to build up and pushed into it, fighting to quell his anxiety and hoping it would stop him from being seen. He moved with the masses towards the door and through, thinking he was safe until he felt a hand clamp around his wrist. Panicking, he started to struggle but the grip was strong and he was pulled to the side of the corridor and away from the somewhat protective shield of the other students.

Still panicking and his breathing becoming increasingly heavy, he looked around frantically. Rational thought told him that it was Harry and that he wasn't in any danger but it didn't help. His eyes settled quickly on messy brown hair and he fought to calm his breathing and heart rate before looking at the boy. He opened his mouth to demand what exactly Harry thought he was doing but no sound came out when his arm was tugged and he was pulled away to another part of the castle.

Bursting in to another empty classroom, the green eyed boy span quickly around, shoved the door closed and kissed him hard. Draco barely had time to react to the hot, wet tongue invading his mouth before it was over and he was once again staring at the boy in front of him.

Tanned cheeks were tinged pink with a combination of desire and anger. He felt his wrist released but he almost didn't notice, having forgotten about it when the pink lips he'd missed so much had desperately attacked his own. The blond still didn't speak, not being capable of forming any words.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Harry yelled suddenly and Draco startled, stumbling back a few steps.

Was Harry mad at him? He shifted back, trying to put space between himself and the angry brunette. His back hit the door and a small sound of surprise escaped him as he found himself trapped. Looking at the other boy with wide eyes, the young Slytherin began apologising profusely. He had no idea what he'd done but his boyfriend was definitely angry, possibly more angry than Draco had ever seen him, and after almost a week without Harry, he was particularly vulnerable.

Seeing to realise only now what he had done, the brown haired boy scrambled away from the blond.

"Draco, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just so desperate to talk to you. Oh, I grabbed you as well. I'm so sorry!" Harry blurted, hardly even making sense in his rush to apologise.

Taking several deep breaths in, Draco forced himself to calm down. This was Harry. Harry would never hurt him. He trusted Harry.

Cautiously moving away from the door, he walked closer to the other boy.

It's... it's ok Harry. Look, I'm not scared anymore. I know you wouldn't hurt me." The blond said, trying to reassure the Gryffindor and finding it ironic that he was comforting Harry but paid it no mind.

He knew he should leave now that he had the chance... but being so close to Harry again... he couldn't just leave.

Drawing even closer, Draco knelt down in front of Harry. Ignoring the part of his brain that screamed at him not to do it, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the brunette's cheek. Harry smiled and Draco could feel his own lips curling up to mirror the expression.

As he moved back a bit, Harry put a hand behind his head, gently gripping the platinum strands, and pulled him towards him again. Pressing their lips together again, their eyes fell closed and Harry took control of the kiss. Draco felt him deepen the kiss and a swipe at his bottom lip made it clear what the other boy wanted him to do. Parting his lips, the blond felt that hot, wet tongue enter his mouth. As they parted for breath, Harry panted, "I missed you so much" before resuming ravishing his mouth. Moaning into the kiss, Draco mentally agreed. He'd missed Harry too, more than he'd ever thought possible.

He wrapped his arms around the brunette's neck and pulled him even closer. He heard Harry moan loudly and smiled a little. Shifting slightly, the blond crawled onto the other boy's lap but froze seconds later, eyes widened in panic. He scrambled away frantically as realisation dawned on him and he understood what had been poking at his arse.

Staring fearfully yet unseeingly at his boyfriend, images flashed before his eyes but worse still, feelings of pain, helplessness and shame re-emerging from the only other times he had experienced that sensation.

Climbing unsteadily to his feet, Draco backed away, stumbling every few steps as his legs felt weak and his vision was blurred by tears that hadn't yet been shed. Forcing his uncooperative and uncoordinated limbs to move, he staggered towards the door, pulled it open and ran as best he could, almost tripping multiple times on the way, deaf to Harry's calls of his name from the room he had left behind.


	29. Chapter 29

No PoV

_This time, when Draco's eyes flew open, he was met not with the usual steely grey eyes and almost white hair but the bright emerald eyes and messy brown hair that he had admired so many times. He startled and his eyes widened. He knew this wasn't a memory._

_Insults that had become almost commonplace both spoken aloud in the silence of his bedroom late at night and ingrained in the clamour of his own mind in that drawling, cruel but horribly familiar voice were now being uttered by the voice he had heard comforting him, reassuring, telling him he loved him, so many times in the past months._

_Tears filled his eyes almost immediately. Try as he might, he couldn't pretend he didn't know what was happening when his pyjama pants were yanked down his legs and his limp member was gripped. The innocence to be naïve to such things had been stripped from him when his clothes had first been forcefully removed from his body in the cool night air, what seemed like so many months ago._

" _You want this don't you? You said you love me after all so you must want me to fuck you. I bet you've been thinking about it, dreaming about it. You've made me wait so long and trying my patience. I'm going to fuck you so hard right now that your arse is going to hurt for weeks and you're going to beg for more." It was said in what was unmistakably Harry's voice but the words were clearly not his own. However, they had never been spoken by Lucius either._

_Draco's eyes widened further and his tears began to leak down his cheeks with a whimper that he couldn't hold back. Harry's hand started to move roughly up and down his member and he felt it reluctantly begin to harden at the physical stimulus, despite the slight pain that accompanied it. The tears fell fast and grey eyes scrunched tightly shut, trying to block out what was happening._

_It was impossible to pretend though, especially when he felt pressure at his entrance, about to push inside. He knew full well the pain that would follow. The unimaginable agony he had experienced time and time again by another man. The blond squirmed futilely and tensed in anticipation of the torture to come even though he knew he would only make things worse but he couldn't help it – it was an instinct._

_A scream tore from his throat as the intense pain started and tears flowed freely down his face and onto the sheets below him. His throat was sore and his eyes were stinging from crying yet the emotional pain was stronger still._

_This was Harry, the one person he had trusted completely with the truth, the person he loved, who had said he loved him too, and the person who had promised to protect him, and now he was inflicting upon Draco the same pain that he had endured from his father mere months ago. His tears fell faster as his mind insisted on reminding him exactly who this man was and reminding him of all the times he had been comforted, held and made to feel loved by this same man. The man whom he had trusted more than anyone not to hurt him was the one inflicting this excruciating pain right now._

Jerking straight up in his bed, Draco panted in an attempt to catch his breath. His body was covered in a layer of sweat and he shivered as he gasped in lungfuls of air. Drying tear tracks covered his cheeks and there was a wet patch on the pillow where his head had been resting moments ago, just like there had been in the nightmare.

Yes Draco realised it was a nightmare but the reassurance that provided was minimal and it it did little to assuage his fear or slow his racing heart. He sat in bed, shaking and shivering as he breathed heavily and tried to calm himself.

It has never really happened. Harry wouldn't do that to him.

The blond told himself these things yet the fear still didn't dissipate. Instead, more thoughts flooded his mind, things he had tried to ignore but the dream had made it impossible to do so any longer, and magnified the terror of the dream.

(A/N at end of chapter) What if Harry was frustrated waiting for Draco to have sex with him? As a teenage boy Harry was sure to have sexual... needs and as his boyfriend, it was Draco's duty to satisfy these needs wasn't it? Harry was surely expecting more from the relationship than kissing and the occasional tentative touch even if he had never complained or pressured Draco to go further. With no sexual fulfilment, Harry was bound to get bored of him soon. But... Draco knew he wasn't ready for that yet. Even if he forced himself into it, there was no way he wouldn't run scared at the first hint of that kind of situation.

Was Draco just selfishly receiving support and help from Harry that meant more to him than he could ever convey and yet providing nothing at all in return? There was no help he could offer nor any physical intimacy he could give so why should Harry stay with him? For the feelings of love Harry had verbalised, most likely as nothing more than insubstantial platitudes to mollify the blond boy's depression?

Shaking his head rapidly, Draco tried to redirect his negative thoughts and think more rationally. Wasn't Harry the kind of person who would only say 'I love you' if he meant it? He was a Gryffindor after all so would he really lie to completely and about something so important, to Draco at least? The Slytherin liked to think that he wouldn't but he still didn't fully believe it. His father had said too many things which he now believed to be true for him to think anyone could truly love him. His own father had wished him to inflict the worst kind of pain and humiliation upon him so why would anyone else care about him? Draco had never found out the reason for the numerous rapes he had been tortured by but it was undeniable that his father held no paternal love for his son, having shown not a trace of regret every time, so why would anyone else have any kind of loving feelings for him? Clearly he was unlovable if even his own family, his parents, wanted to hurt him.

Forcefully tearing his thoughts away from thoughts that made grey eyes fill with tears once again, he considered the time he had spent with Harry in year year so far. It was drawing to an end now and the memories he had of his fourth year were both good and bad but utterly different than any he had of previous years. His moments of happiness had been genuine and not fuelled by a need to maintain reputation or power, instead it was a pure happiness in being close to the man he loved and trusted with no expectations and no need to lie or hide himself.

There were memories of he and Harry holding hands, hugging, kissing, just spending time in each other's company and learning as much about the other as possible. Yet intermittent were the insistent and vivid nightmares, the embarrassment of his time as a ferret for the whole school to see, the total desperation as he stood on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower in a dazed state where the fall and death seemed far better than continuing living... Memories of the summer began to fight their way into his consciousness so he flung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood abruptly. The floor was cool beneath his feet, a stark contrast to his overheated skin, and he shivered again. Just getting out of bed he felt like he had used all of his energy but almost without thinking, his body led the way to the prefect's bathroom while his mind was elsewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to emphasise that this is not how relationships work, it's just things I think Draco would worry about. Relationships are not all about sex and I know that and I want to point it out to everyone. As always, these are not my personal opinions but the opinions of the characters. If you're in relationship that is purely based on sex then I don't think it is a proper loving relationship – sex is not a partner's duty to fulfil. Just wanted to make that clear to everyone.


	30. Chapter 30

No PoV

The days following the nightmare passed much the same as these before the confrontation; Draco continued to avoid Harry despite knowing that his was irrational, and Harry made every attempt to speak to the elusive boy.

It was clear to him that the blond was hurting and it was likely that it was from the inescapable cruelty of his own mind. However, Draco was making every effort not to interact with him.

Draco knew that Harry had never harmed him and wanted desperately to believe he never would but... the worries the nightmare had dug up were too real. They were too plausible for him to brush off as just a dream, just a meaningless figment of his punishing imagination.

Harry saw the sadness in his boyfriend's eyes that had begun to lift since they had started dating, but now it was returning and he couldn't stand it, especially knowing that he was doing nothing about it. He noticed the pained look in almost silver eyes when their gazes met for a moment across a hallway or classroom before Draco would look quickly away.

As before, Draco would cry himself to sleep, clutching at his pillow and debating with himself about the risks of returning to his boyfriend, if that's even what they still were. He wanted to, yet part of him wouldn't cease to shiver at the memory of that nightmare.

**Broken Like An Angel**

The fourth day after the nightmare found Draco Malfoy in the Great Hall eating little as his house-mates gorged on the extensive breakfast.

The other students looked up as the hooting of owls sounded over the usual chatter of breakfast conversation but Draco's eyes remained fixed on the patch of table on front of him. There would be nothing for him he was sure. His so called friends left him alone for the most part since his mood had taken a turn for the worse – he had accidentally snapped at them a few times – and there was no chance his parents would be trying to contact him. Crabb and Goyle often still followed him around but they rarely spoke to or attempted to make conversation with him, not even to include him in their idiotic ramblings.

Due to this, it made him jump when a letter was dropped beside his empty plate. Looking up in surprise, Draco stared at the familiar scrawl on the envelope before him and scanned the false sky trying to catch a glimpse of the snow white owl he knew would have dropped it. It was unmistakably Harry's handwriting.

At the sight of it, his mind broke out in immediate chaos. The fact that Harry still wanted to speak to him after the Slytherin had been treating him recently made Draco's heart flutter with excitement and hope... but should he really read it? The nightmare was still ever-present in his mind and the worries had not diminished in the past few days. The temptation to tear open the envelope and read the clumsy but endearing scribble of words that Harry had written just for him was almost overwhelming but he knew that it would only increase his desire to see the green eyed boy.

He knew there was a risk that this could be Harry's way of breaking up with him now that they weren't speaking but he didn't allow his mind to wander to those possibilities. There were so many and he knew that lingering on any one of them could fill his eyes with tears in the middle of the dining hall.

Knowing that the temptation would only grow but unable to help himself, the blond carefully opened the cream coloured envelope, trying not to seem as desperate as he felt to get to the letter inside. Pulling the parchment out, Draco began to read the words from the boy he loved so dearly despite fear causing him not to act like it.

_Dear Draco,_

_Ok, how to start... I've never written a letter like this before so I have no idea if there are certain things I should be doing or writing, probably even a specific layout to write it in, but I'm sure you'd know all about them. If you speak to me again, I imagine you'll tell me the things that were wrong but frankly I'd just be happy to hear your voice again. I don't even know if you'll read this but I have to try. I'm a Gryffindor in all situations I suppose you'd say._

_I don't know what's been going on with you lately but I miss you. I can't tell you how much I miss you because there just aren't any words that could describe it. I don't understand why you're ignoring me Draco but I really wish you wouldn't. Whatever it is that's upset you, you can tell me. I can tell you're upset and yet there's nothing I can do about it and I hate it. I feel so useless not being able to cheer up or at least comfort my own boyfriend and knowing that you won't talk to me about it. I love you and I want to help if something is wrong. I want you to trust me, to tell me what's wrong, please. Please Draco, I miss you. I want you back._

_Why won't you trust me with this? You said you loved me and I believed you... but now I'm starting to doubt it. How can I believe that you honestly love me when you run and hide away from me without even telling me why?_

_I know you've had a tough time and I can't begin to imagine what it must be like for you but if you let me, I'll do everything I can to make it easier for you. If you would just talk to me about it, I could try to help you. I want to make you happy – that's the most important thing to me – but I can't do that if you won't tell me anything. You trusted me about the summer so why not with this? Can it really be that bad? Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. You're not alone anymore. You have me and I'm not going anywhere. I love you and I'm here for you._

_Love and miss you,_

_Harry_

Standing up with his head down, Draco walked quickly to the huge double doors of the hall, trying to keep his composure and hide the tears welling up in his eyes, blinking them back furiously. Ignoring the few stares aimed his way, he made it through the doors and broke into a run as soon as he crossed into the corridor. Tears fell down his cheeks as he ran to his dorm and he was glad that Harry had not yet arrived for breakfast so he hadn't seen the effect his letter had had on the blond. His emotions were a mess and his thoughts were in turmoil.

It sounded so perfect when Harry said it, when he put it like that, but how could things possibly work out that well? Nothing could work out like that for him. He was just a pathetic little slut, right? That's what his father had said. What would Harry think if he knew Draco had had a dream about the Gryffindor raping him? How could he possibly be understanding about that? He wouldn't understand that it was all his worries building up. Harry would think that Draco didn't trust him or, even worse, that he had dreamed it because he liked or wanted that. The Slytherin shivered at the thought. He would probably deny his worries anyway. Were his worries unfounded? If Draco believed that Harry would disagree with his concerns, how was he to know they should really be considered?

Stumbling into the empty Slytherin common room and through to the dormitories, the blond collapsed onto his bed let his tears fall freely to his pillow as his confused mind descended into mayhem. Flashes of the nightmare alternated with memories of he and Harry together in the past few months, just talking, cuddling and kissing since he was too scared to go any further and Harry had never pushed him, but he knew it was undoubtedly the best thing that had ever happened to him. Still the fear stuck in the corner of his mind, ready to remind him constantly.


	31. Chapter 31

Draco PoV

Having somehow dragged myself out of bed after the events of breakfast this morning, I had gone through the day on automatic and flopped onto my bed as soon as the day's lessons ended. Exhausted by keeping up pretenses all day, it didn't take long for me to fall into a fitful sleep.

_Sitting squashed among the other students on the rows of benches that had been provided for the occasion, I was sure I was the only one watching the scene so intently. Others were talking and joking and laughing but I had barely even moved my gaze. Nothing had happened in half an hour or so, though it felt like hours, and although that wasn't inherently bad, I had a bad feeling about it. Something felt wrong but I had no idea what._

_My concern for Harry increased further still. He was practically alone and inexperienced with drastically less practice and knowledge than his competition. Who knew what could happen. He could get injured or any number of other things that made the inevitable disorientation seem insignificant. Not insignificant enough though for me not to worry about it. Every possible situation was playing out in my head one by one, the worst ones repeating themselves unbearably. The terrible, unfixable ones that I didn't even want to consider kept resurfacing to torment me – the ones in which Harry died._

_The waiting was agonising as the horrendous possibilities drowned out the cheerful chatter surrounding me. There was no movement from the sea of green in front of us all and the tension made time drag and my nerves be completely frazzled by the stress of it all._

_Finally, after what seemed like hours, and maybe it was, the shrubbery parted and a familiar head of messy brown hair emerged from the seemingly endless green. Almost crying out in relief, I failed to notice immediately the blood covered hand clutching at the boy's side. When he fell to the ground steps later however, it was impossible not to. Harry's hand slipped and blood flowed through his already soaked clothes and onto the floor. Gasping in shock and fighting back tears, I stumbled down the steps towards him only to be pushed way. A crowd of people were rushing at Harry, forcing me out of the way. I had to watch from afar as Harry was carried away to, I guessed, Madam Pomfrey but some part of me knew it was too late as he was taken without a struggle or even an attempt to speak._

_I called out to him but it made no difference. No one stopped. No one even turned to look. My shouts grew quieter until they were just desperate whispers intermittent with sobs. Harry was gone and somehow I was sure he wouldn't be coming back._

" _Harry..." I sobbed. "Don't leave me." My throat was sore from shouting and my voice cracked as I cried. "Please don't leave me."_

I woke with tears streaming down my face and soaking the pillow beneath my head. As I lay there, tears slowing as the dream became less vivid and more of a vague memory, the image of blood leaking between Harry's fingers refused to fade.

How could I survive if Harry died? I dare not even imagine returning to my life before September having experienced the happiness of the past months. Those memories memories bound to make it all the more painful and unbearable. The mere thought of Harry dying made my tears fall faster and sobs break out. That scene remained stubbornly fixed at the forefront of my mind. My chest felt tight and I was struggling to breathe, grabbing at the front of my shirt as if I could somehow tear out whatever was crushing my heart and lungs in its invisible grip.

Scrambling out of bed and untangling myself from the covers, I grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from my desk and began to scribble furiously, not caring about the sloppy handwriting.

_Dear Harry,_

_I can't bear to see you go to the third task without talking to you first. I want to say good luck and apologise. I'm sorry for how I've been acting and I wouldn't be surprised if you won't forgive me but I just couldn't let you go without at least trying to say I'm sorry and I still love you. You've done nothing wrong, it's my fault._

_-D_


	32. Chapter 32

No PoV

Harry felt a little nervous as he walked up to the blond boy but he needed answers. He had questions and he was sick of not knowing and not understanding what was happening with his own boyfriend. He suppressed the giddy joy that still bubbled up at using the word in reference to Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy, I need a word." Harry said, trying to keep the affection hidden.

"I'm sure Granger has plenty you can borrow, Potter." Draco forced himself to drawl while his heart was pounding in his chest. This was the closest he had been to Harry in a while and it was taking all his self-control not to just leap up and wrap his arms tight around the brown haired boy.

"Just come on." The Gryffindor snapped, becoming impatient with the charade, yet the other Slytherins barely even batted an eyelid. Even Crabbe and Goyle made no attempt to fight for or stop him. Malfoy stood slowly, looking for any sign that anyone cared that he was leaving, and with Harry Potter of all people, but it seems he really did have no one left other than Harry.

Walking awkwardly past the other excited students, Harry and Draco both tried to unscramble their thoughts to figure out to say to the other. The closeness was tempting them both and they had so much to say.

Once they were a fair distance away from the hubbub and hidden from view by one of the many huge tiers of seating constructed for the event, Harry stopped with Draco behind him. He kept his back turned for a few minutes as he attempted to gather his thoughts the, not turning, he spoke quietly to the blond.

"What did I do Draco?" Letting out a slow, deep breath, he turned to face the Slytherin and Draco could see the other boy was upset. "What did I do to upset you Draco? Whatever I did, I'm sorry and I'll do anything you want if you'll give me another chance. Harry almost pleaded, desperation seeping into his voice.

"You didn't do anything Harry. You've been wonderful to me all year." Draco replied, struggling to keep calm despite his boyfriend's slightly raised voice.

"Then why? Why have you been pretending that nothing ever happened between us? Acting like I don't even exist or mean anything to you? I know you've been through a lot Draco but you said you love me. I want to make you happy but you aren't letting me do that, you're running from me."

"I was never angry or upset with you Harry, I was just... I was scared."

"Scared... of me?" Draco said nothing and kept his eyes fixed on the ground beneath his feet. "Draco, please. I want to understand. I really don't know what I've done." Harry pleaded.

"Nothing! You haven't done anything wrong Harry! I just can't be happy. The world won't allow it. My own mind won't allow it." Draco cried desperately, wishing it could all be forgotten but knowing it couldn't. He knew the conversation was unavoidable.

"I need you to explain Draco. What happened? What made everything change?" Draco was fighting back tears but Harry kept his voice soft, steady and patient. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. I need you to tell me. I still love you."

"I still love you too Harry. I never stopped loving you. That's what makes it so difficult. No one else can affect me this way."

"Please tell me what's wrong." Harry pleaded.

"That day in the classroom... You got aroused. I could feel it against me and I got scared and ran. You're my boyfriend and I'm not giving you what you need." The blond boy whispered, tears finally spilling over."Of course you would want that from your boyfriend but I can't give it to you. I don't know how to be a boyfriend and I'm ruined. My body is used and my mind broken." His tears fell faster and Harry began to interrupt but Draco knew that if he stopped now he would never say it.

"I ran to my room and eventually fell asleep but that only made it worse. I dreamed of you, but the feeling triggered my memory... vividly." Draco shuddered. "A nightmare of you in my father's place. I told myself you wouldn't do that but I was scared Harry. I was so scared. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He was looking down, tears falling to the ground and stubbornly refusing to look at the other boy, so he was taken by surprise when Harry's arms wrapped around him. He tensed for a moment then relaxed into the embrace, tears coming faster and sobs more heavily. His mind screamed at him to run but the warmth and comfort felt so natural and he was sure that if he moved away, his legs would give out beneath him.

"I had no idea." Harry muttered.

"Of course you didn't. I didn't tell you." Draco stated somewhat bluntly in reply though intermittent with the occasional sniff.

"I should have known it would upset you. I know about your past so I should have realised. I'm sorry Draco. I don't need anything more than you can give. I promise." Harry whispered to the blond boy in his arm as he held him close and breathed in the scent of him, so relieved to have him back.

As they embraced, they were unaware of the eyes watching them, a slow, somewhat maniacal smirk spreading across his face.


	33. Chapter 33

3rd Person POV

They stayed as they were after the figure was gone, still blissfully unaware, lost in each other's embrace. When they finally parted, reality hit them hard, engulfing them like a tsunami wave.

"I have to go." Harry whispered, regret heavy in his voice.

"No, you don't. Stay here with me." The blond boy pleaded.

"I can't. I have to complete the last task of the tournament."

"Please don't go Harry!"

"Draco..." Harry muttered, his heart torn agonisingly in two directions.

"Please Harry! Please don't go!" Draco begged, tears stinging his eyes. "It's a trap, I know it is. I don't know what will happen but it's too dangerous!"

"Draco, I have to. If it is some kind of set up, I can't just leave someone else to get put in danger instead."

Draco let out a bitter laugh mixed with a sob. "Stop being a hero. Stop being the damn chosen one and be my boyfriend! Please Harry! I can't lose you! I just got you back! I've had a glimpse at what it's like to be without you for a few days and I can't do it permanently. I know it's selfish of me but leave them and stay with me!" The boy's tears spilled over and rolled down his cheeks.

Harry put his arms around the other boy and pulled him close, resting the head of blond hair on his shoulder. "You know I can't do that. I've faced Voldemort before," Draco flinched at the name and shivered slightly, "and I will come back like I have done before. You will never lose me. I'll always come back to you." He placed a gentle kiss to his platinum hair and moved back slightly but the boy held on.

"Please Harry! I need you!" The Slytherin sobbed, his breathing shallow and rasping. "I wouldn't be alive without you."

Harry held him close, the blond head on his shoulder, salty tears seeping into his robe. "Draco, I'm not leaving you forever. I'll be back with you soon but you know I can't let another student be put in danger for me. Call me a Gryffindor but I just can't do that." Harry himself began to well up and swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay.

"It's a trap Harry. Please don't ask me how but I know it is. I don't know what will happen exactly but you could die! I'm not going to let you walk to your death and leave me here alone again!"

"Please don't do this. It's going to be impossible to leave you already. Please don't make this harder. I promise you, I will not die. I will come back and I will be with you again. You won't be alone."

With no warning, Draco kissed him hard. Harry's surprise wore off quickly and his lips responded, trying to convey all of the love he felt for the boy but always falling short. They kissed passionately for what seemed like forever yet when the blond pulled back it still wasn't long enough.

Draco moved a little away, out of Harry's arms and, fighting back tears, closed his eyes. He took deep breaths, desperately trying to gather his composure for what he knew he had to do. When he opened them again, Harry could only just tell he was quelling a flood behind those silvery eyes that wouldn't quite meet his own emerald ones. If he hadn't known the Slytherin as well as he did, it would have been impossible to tell.

"You had better come back Harry. Don't you dare die on me." Harry was sure his face was the picture of surprise. "Go." Draco's gaze faltered as he uttered the word but he held his composure with all the determination he possessed.

"I love you Draco." Harry whispered as he turned, not waiting for a reply. There would be none, the words too difficult to speak past the lump in the blond's throat. He watched the Gryffindor walk away for as long as he could bear before he too turned away, gaze fixed on the ground, allowing himself to cry silently. Tears trailed down his cheeks leaving a chill in its wake and dripping onto the dirt beneath his feet but not a sound escaped the boy.


	34. Chapter 34

"My Lord, I have something very interesting to report this time."

The seated man merely gestured the speaker to continue.

"I have witnessed the Malfoy boy and Potter... kissing." He disclosed, hesitating, his voice filled with disgust.

"Are you sure of what you saw? There will be severe punishment should you be lying to me."

"Yes My Lord, I am sure. It is as I said. Potter and the Malfoy boy seem to have developed a... surprising relationship."

"How interesting... Perhaps this is a wonderful opportunity or perhaps it is not you who shall be punished." A cruel smirk spread across the grotesque face and the man bowed and quickly left, thanking a God he didn't believe in that he wasn't the young Malfoy.

A cloaked man stepped out from the shadows, a sour expression on his face, a few streaks of platinum blond escaping the confines of his hood. "I apologise My Lord, I am utterly ashamed. I will take care of it."

"Do not let him ruin my plans Lucius or it will not be him alone who will suffer the punishment."

Bowing his head in submission, the cloaked figure disapparated, his face growing angrier by the second.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Letting Harry walk away was possibly the hardest thing Draco had ever had to do. He stood up there with the other three competitors and Draco wanted more than anything to call out to him, to tell him to come back so he could hold him and never let him go. The unavoidable fact that he could die in there haunted Draco mercilessly without a moments rest.

Dumbledore spoke for a few minutes but Draco didn't hear a word and the next thing he knew, a horn blared and music played, only succeeding in making him feel even more alone among the merriment. Harry glanced back and met his eyes, offering a shaky smile. The blond tried to smile back as tears blurred his vision. He wanted to burn the boy's smile into his memory but suddenly it was gone. Harry had turned and stepped into the maze only for it grow over the entrance behind him.

To Draco, it felt as though time stopped with Harry's departure, he was aware of the people around him as the first quiet words welled up into a deafening cacophony of voices where the other students joked and speculated about who had and who was yet to die.

Looking around and furiously blinking lest anyone should see his tears Weasley and Granger swam into view. They sat tensely not far from him, occasionally making quiet comments to each other that he couldn't overhear amid the din. The irony of empathising with them wasn't lost on him as his gaze swept on in the vain hope that maybe his Harry was still there in the crowd.

Despite his mind feeling full and racing with horrifying possibilities, he felt alone and more miserable than he ever remembered being before. A terrible and crushing loneliness that he thought could never end. The darkness of his thoughts tried again to envelop him, making him gag on his own bile, as he thought of the trials that Harry might face. The thought that his Harry might at that moment already be laying face down on a path in the maze as dead as dead could be. He glanced at his watch to check the time and was amazed to see it had only been ten minutes since the hedge had closed on his last glimpse of the boy he loved.

He wondered how it could only have been ten minutes, it felt like a lifetime had already passed him by as he waited. How could he possibly endure more? He desperately wanted to charge down the steps and into the maze to help Harry but he knew that was impossible. He wanted to pace back and forth, summon powerful magic to bring Harry safely to him there and then but he knew that anything he did could hurt his beloved Harry more than help him so he clung to his seat as though it were the last hope in a drowning world.

He wanted to scream and shout, but students were already bored with waiting and the festival atmosphere seemed to clash with his own inner thoughts as time ground on. Darkly submerged in his own brooding thoughts as he tried not to imagine the ways in which Harry could die, Draco was oblivious to the students around him, only noticing them to wish they would go away. Secretly he wished they would all die in Harry's place and bring his Harry back to him safely.

The roar of conversation around him surged to new heights and broke through his thoughts. He looked up realising something was happening but he was disgusted to see that it wasn't his Harry, only Viktor emerging from the maze, his eyes crazed and haunted. Though without the evil, they reminded him of the eyes he often saw in the visitors to the Manor. He had no interest in him. Draco didn't spare the boy another look but searched the path into the maze behind him hoping for some glimpse of his Harry.

He heard his heart pounding in his ears as he stopped breathing, searching for the boy but there was nothing, no one, to be seen in that first few metres of maze. Where could his Harry be? What was taking him so long?

Draco realised he had been deaf and blind to all around him for hours and the day was darkening into night, torches had been lit all round the stadium. He strained to see over and round other students as they moved. The noise surged around him again, he thought that surely it was Harry this time...

The Fleur girl emerged waving to people and smiling tersely and it was clear that whatever she had seen in that maze had affected her deeply. Draco slumped in his seat. Harry hadn't emerged, there was no doubt, he had to have died in there. The two survivors had shown clearly the horrors that lurked within that endless green. Tears welled up into his eyes again, threatening to spill down his face as he thought of his loss. The crowd roared again and his head snapped up with hope as students began to crowd down the steps towards the entrance to the maze.

Through a haze he could see his Harry stumbling forwards. He joined the press of students pushing and jostling to get onto the grass and congratulate Harry, his heart singing and happiness overflowing knowing that Harry was still alive.

As the crowd parted in front of him for a moment, the bottom fell out of Draco's world. He felt his happiness drain away like water down a storm drain as he saw Harry standing by the entrance to the maze, his arm draped around Cedric Diggory, hugging him, holding him close. His happiness turned to bitter jealousy. He wondered what Harry thought he was doing? Why wasn't he hugging Draco like that? Why was he holding him so close? Almost in shock, Draco slumped into a nearby seat, hid his face in his hands and let his bitter tears fall.


	35. Chapter 35

As he sat with his head in his hands, Draco began to hear the sobs and cries of distress. He could recognise them instantly as Harry's. The students around him were alternately whispering to each other and looking on in horror and disbelief. Draco stood and scrubbed at his cheeks subtly while he tried to push his way through the crowd. As he forced his way through the final row, he saw what he had missed before. Harry's cheeks were wet with tears as he clung to the boy. Teachers tried to pull him off of Cedric but Harry wouldn't allow it. He gripped the older boy's top with white knuckles and screamed at anyone who came close. Amongst all the commotion, Cedric's motionless body seemed surreal. Chaos continued on around the boy but he remained still. Lifeless.

Cedric's father reached the front of the crowd and ran to his son's side as Harry continued to hold on. The panic only increased when that name left Harry's bloodied lips; the name no one else dared to speak. Draco's jealousy was long gone and incredible fear and worry took its place. He had never been so scared for someone as he was at that moment for Harry and there was no doubt in his mind that what Harry said was true. The blond desperately needed to run to his boyfriend and hold him close to never let him go again. In his arms, Harry would be safe; Draco wouldn't let anything hurt him. The danger was undeniable but he lurched towards Harry, trying to dash to his side. However, before he could take a second step, a hand wrapped round his wrist and pulled him back behind the crowd. He tensed immediately as memories rushed back. He tried to cry out but even his voice was frozen in fear. Had he found out? Was there an even worse punishment awaiting him? Then another thought rushed to the forefront. He was being pulled away from Harry. He started to resist, fighting back and managing sounds of protest. A couple of hundred feet away from the crowd, the puling stopped and his assailant stood before him.

"Severus?" Draco croaked.

"Yes. We don't have time for this Draco. You must come with me."

"But Harry-"

"Harry will be fine. The teachers are taking him away now to check on him and give Mr Diggory time with his son."

"I need to check on him. I need to be with him." Draco said, his voice gaining force with the strength of his feelings.

"Draco, don't make this harder than it already is. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was important."

"Doing what? Tell me what's going on!"

"You have to go. I'm taking you and your mother some place safe. It's too dangerous here." Severus paused for a moment. "He knows."

Draco's breath caught in his throat. "He knows?" The boy rasped and the man just nodded solemnly. Draco couldn't speak again for a while. His mind filled with memories of the abuse he'd been put through and his imagination took off, wondering what worse his father could do. Would do, if he got the chance. So don't give him the chance, his brain said. You're being given an opportunity to get away. To be safe. Take it. But then his heart said, "But Harry's in danger too."

Snape looked shocked and took a few seconds to regain his composure. He had known Draco loved Harry, but to risk falling back into the hands of Lucius for him was a love beyond what he had realised. He had thought it just a teenage fling, an infatuation. Though it was risky, a little experimentation would do the boy no harm and would be unlikely to get back to his father, but this had become something different entirely. This was real, selfless love. He should have known his godson wasn't like the other young witches and wizards in the school who tried changed suitors like they did clothes. Draco didn't love easily and trusted even less. Not to mention, the stakes for him were higher than for most other children. Now understanding, he changed his tactics.

"Harry is safer with you away right now. Here, you can be used against him. He has an incredible weakness for you that they know about now and will gladly exploit. The Dark Lord wants Harry and, if he has you, he knows Harry will come running right to you. To him."

Draco didn't respond immediately. He knew Severus was right but that didn't make it any easier. His head was screaming for him to take the safety being offered to him yet his heart abhorred the idea of leaving Harry. The torrent of thoughts made his head spin.

After a few minutes, he nodded weakly. "Ok. Let's go." In the end, despite everything else, Harry always came first.

**Broken Like An Angel**

Draco and his mother were not given long to pack – just things of great importance to them, they were told – while Severus stood guard at the door.

Draco didn't have many things of importance to him, not being a particularly sentimental person both by nature and conditioning so, his wand already in his pocket, he gathered less important things from around his room. Mostly just a few pieces of clothing he especially liked, he hurriedly shoved them into a bag. The majority of his possessions were in his dorm at Hogwarts and he wished more than anything that he had something of Harry's to take with him. He felt tears well up in his eyes but adrenaline and fear enabled him to blink them back for now. He knew his mother was doing the same elsewhere in the mansion and he wondered if she would bring anything to remind her of her husband or she felt similarly to him and wanted to forget about the vile man. Lucius had occasionally acted affectionately towards Narcissa but it was impossible to tell genuine from manipulation and Draco knew his mother was terrified of the long haired man and had been for many years.

He looked around the room that he had called his own for his whole life and it evoked mixed feelings in him. Throughout his childhood, this had always been the place he came to get away from his father's criticism and tyranny, the place he could be alone, yet in the last year that was no longer true. The room held memories of the worst times of his life and he struggled to keep them from flooding back to him as he stood there. He hadn't dared to touch the bed since he had arrived, hardly being able to cope with even the sight of it.

Grabbing the bag off the floor, he left the room without a glance back and closed the door firmly, wishing he could leave the memories behind as easily. Walking down the corridors he knew so well, he snatched up anything he saw that would be worth selling later on and placed it in his bag with the clothes, even the fear not able to change his intelligent nature. Upon reaching the atrium, he saw Severus waiting impatiently for them to return. His mother was not back yet but he was sure she wouldn't be long. Malfoy's weren't sentimental, it wasn't allowed.

Severus said nothing but, familiar as Draco was with the man, he could see the fear in his face without him saying a word. The blond joined him in silence. As expected, his mother joined them mere minutes later.

"Draco." She cried when she laid eyes on him. "You're ok." Her eyes were filled with tears and it looked as though she had not been as successful as Draco in stopping the flood when they were apart. Draco knew she would have been thinking about the good memories she had with his father. She had told him when he was young that he had not always been this way. When they met back in Hogwarts, they had been truly in love. Later it had all changed. He had changed.

"Hello Mother." He said habitually but was almost cut off when she leapt forward to wrap her arms around him. She didn't say anything further as she tried to rein in her emotions as such behaviour was not befitting of a Malfoy. He flinched violently and pulled away. With a little distance, she could see the surprise and hurt in her eyes but her expression was once again calm, save the puffiness of her eyes.

Snape cleared his throat meaningfully. "If you are both ready, let us leave."

They stood close and with just one bag of belongings each, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy were gone.


	36. Chapter 36

Dear Saviour,

I've never been one for letter writing but it's worth it now to talk to you.

Firstly, I am safe. I want you to know that. Severus has agreed to this letter on the terms that I not tell you where I am in case someone intercepts the owl, although his other condition is that he sends it using an owl with no connection to either of us. On that note, I have to request that you please don't send Hedwig with your reply. We have to be inconspicuous as my father has connections everywhere.

I address this letter 'Dear Saviour', not as the saviour of the world but as the saviour of my world, my life and my heart. You are my saviour.

I miss you so much. I don't know what to do without you. I'm acting so undignified, not even combing my hair some days. Mother is worried and the healer she dragged me to, under polyjuice potion of course, says I'm depressed. To be honest with you, maybe I am. There just doesn't seem any point to it all without you and the memories are tormenting me again with hardly any reprieve. I wake in the night again, drenched in sweat and wishing you were beside me. I need you to tell me it's alright again and feel safe in your arms – it's the only place I can. I don't know how much longer I can live like this.

Mother is doing what she can to cheer me up but she's out of her element – comforting and caring are not traits encouraged in the Malfoy family – and not happy herself. This new life is hard on us both. It's so different from what we're used to. We rarely ever go out of the house which is itself a big change. Two rooms and one seating area along with a kitchen and only one house elf. Severus drops by every week to check on us and bring us supplies, the basics like food. The rest of the time it's just me and Mother. We talk a little but never about anything meaningful and never about my father. There are no fancy parties and events here like my mother is so accustomed to attending and if there were we wouldn't be allowed to attend. We know no one here.

I miss you. Please let me know you're safe.

All my love,

Your Dragon

xxx

\- x -

Dear Dragon,

I am safe. I am so glad to hear that you are safe and haven't been found. I have been worrying about you constantly and wishing I could be there protecting you.

That's very sweet of you but I wouldn't say I saved your life or that I'm any kind of saviour to anyone. You are strong and you survived with that strength, I just supported you when you needed it and reminded you that someone cared. That's all I did, the rest was you.

Things calmed down at Hogwarts after the tournament was over and they held a memorial for Cedric. You were right. The whole tournament was set up to get me killed. Mad-eye Moody was actually Barty Crouch Jr. using polyjuice potion the whole time and made it all run how he wanted while I had no idea. He put my name in the goblet, made sure I got to the third task and charmed the cup. It was a port key. The cup was a port key that took me straight to Voldemort. Cedric's death was completely avoidable. It's my fault he's dead.

Voldemort is back. You have to believe me. Be careful.

I miss you too. I feel lost without you.

I'm back at my aunt and uncle's house for the summer and wishing I was with you wherever you are. Hedwig is restless and sulking that she can't take this letter. Perhaps she misses you too.

I love you,

Your very flustered saviour,

xxx

\- x -

My dear saviour,

Barty Crouch Jr. should still be in Azkaban, his sentence doesn't end for years. He must have escaped somehow. It's not your fault Diggory died, it is the fault of He Who Must Not Be Named... and my father and his other followers. It is my fault too. I should have done something. I should have stopped it. I knew something was going to happen in there yet I did nothing but worse still, I let you go. You could have died and I let you... You're the one who needs to be careful. They are after you.

It's getting near to September now so you must be getting ready to go back to Hogwarts. It will be strange not being there and I hope you'll miss me even a little in classes. I'm sure no one else will notice my not being there but just please don't forget me too. I couldn't survive that... Not with you.

Everything is much the same for Mother and I. We stay indoors most of the time and if we have to leave, we are always disguised. No one can know who we are and I never thought it possible for me but it's lonely. I feel lonely here with just Mother. I eagerly await each letter you send.

I love you too,

Your Dragon

xxx

\- x -

My dear dragon,

It isn't your fault. There's no way you could have stood up to the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself and survived. Once I'd made up my mind, you couldn't have stopped me going into that maze. Surely you know how stubborn I can be.

Under normal circumstances, I would be packing for the next school year now, yes, however things have gotten a little complicated here. Until further notice, I am considered expelled for Hogwarts for the use of under-age magic. Please don't be disappointed in me. There was nothing else I could do except to let him die. He might be annoying but I just couldn't do that.

I would never forget you. I couldn't forget you. Even before I knew I loved you, you were always there, somewhere in my mind. I could never stop thinking about you and now I never want to. I love you.

I wait impatiently for your reply,

Your saviour

xxx

\- x -

My Saviour,

What happened? Are you alright? Who couldn't you let die? Tell me what happened. Are they really going to expel you if it was to defend someone?

Mother asked about you this week. She wanted to know if you were ok. I think she was trying to tell me that she accepts us, in her own way. She told me to send her regards in my next letter to you. I'd like for you to meet her one day.

Please tell me what's happening there.

Your worried dragon

xxx

\- x -

Dear Dragon,

Dementors near my Aunt and Uncle's house. They attacked my cousin and some of his friends. They were all muggles, though of course my cousin knows about magic. Dumbledore is trying to get them to reconsider as it was in defence but no one knows what they will decide yet. They're trying to find a loophole in the law. I'm safe with Sirius now. I wasn't hurt.

You never told me your mother was originally a Black. She is my godfather, Sirius', cousin. Luckily we're not blood related or it might get weird. I would like to meet her and I'd love for you to meet Sirius.

I miss you,

Your saviour

xxx

\- x -

My dearest saviour,

I'm so glad your safe. I hope the ministry are investigating what Dementors were doing there. They are not supposed to leave Azkaban's grounds. They are vile creatures.

Sirius Black is your godfather? I never knew or I might have mentioned my mother's background. I assume the rumours about him aren't true. I would like to meet him one day. It sounds like he is very important to you. Perhaps one day I can introduce you Severus again and you can start over. You know he is my godfather don't you? I'm sure I told you.

I miss you too. I don't have the words to tell you how much. Every day I miss you more and being without you gets harder. I'm holding on for when I can be with you again but it seems so far away. I don't know if that day will ever even come. I finally got to be with you and now we are apart again. It doesn't seem fair but I know things will never be easy for us. Things will try to break us apart but I won't let it happen. I don't want to live without you. I'm not sure I can. I need you by my side.

Your Dragon

xxx


	37. Final Chapter

 

* * *

**Death Eater Behind Bars**

On 2nd October, Lucius Malfoy, the head of the Malfoy family, was arrested on suspicion of being a 'Death Eater' – a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Yesterday, he was taken to Azkaban after suspicions were confirmed.

* * *

Harry stared at that sentence for a long time. It was a fairly small article among the abundance of news in the Daily Prophet but the moving photograph of the man had drawn his attention immediately. Mumbling something vague to a confused Ron and Hermione and leaving his breakfast almost untouched – not unusual these days - he left the table and walked out of the main hall. As soon as he passed the doors, he took off running.

_My dear dragon,_

_Have you seen the news?_

_Your Saviour_

_\- x -_

_My Saviour,_

_I just read it. Mother returned from the shops in a state of shock. I took the paper from her and immediately saw why._

_I'm sending you a message through Severus. It's the only way he will allow. Write me a yes or a no but include no details. You never know who is listening._

_I love you._

_Your Dragon_

_\- x -_

_My Dragon,_

_Yes. Absolutely, completely, most definitely, yes._

_I love you too, with all my heart._

_Your Saviour_

_\- x -_

**Broken Like An Angel**

Climbing out of the passageway and into the Honeyduke's cellar, Harry's nerves made themselves known in his stomach. He had dressed in clean blue jeans and a dark green shirt for a smart but casual look, topped with a simple black robe and Gryffindor scarf to protect him from the cold. Draco had once told him, under threat of death that he not tell anyone ever, that he found muggle clothes surprisingly attractive, especially the jeans that he said accentuated Harry's arse.

Brushing dust off of his clothes, he walked as casually as possible up the stairs and past the shelves stacked high with magical sweets, trying not to attract any attention. He was glad he'd worn his robe to cover his muggle clothes else he would have stood no chance of avoiding unwanted stares. The shop was mostly empty, the majority of people still in bed after the previous night's celebrations, others just staying warm in their homes. The bell above the door jingled as he pulled it open but he didn't look back, instead stepping straight out and immediately sinking into the crisp and barely disturbed, white snow. He adjusted his scarf and pulled his robe tight around him to protect against the stinging cold of the wind.

Harry's feet moved almost on their own to his destination, past the remnants of festive decorations, not yet taken down and picturesque cottages covered in snow, having frequented it so often in the past months for a quiet spot and somewhere to reminisce on happy times now gone. He arrived sooner than he expected and the knot in his stomach only tightened upon seeing the place. He remember the first time he'd first time he'd seen it; he'd been under the invisibility cloak because he didn't have a signed permission slip for the trip and Draco had started on Hermione and Ron. Although he had laughed about scaring Draco at the time, he couldn't understand back then why underneath it he felt guilty. Now he knew exactly why and felt even worse about it, he thought as he sat on a fallen tree, not caring that the snow was cold and wet on his butt, lost in thought.

**Broken Like An Angel**

The moment Draco caught sight of the familiar messy black hair, his heart sped up and his breath caught in his throat. It had been so long and felt infinitely longer, since he had last run his fingers through those strands. His fingers almost twitched with the desire to feel

that sensation again. He fought to swallow, his chest having tightened.

Swallowing hard again, he took a hesitant step forward, then another. Another and another. Soon he was running, his feet slipping in the snow. Hearing the noise, Harry turned and could only stare at the boy before him. As though time had stopped, he drank in the sight that he had longed for all these months. Aside from looking a little thinner and having forgone the Slytherin scarf, Draco looked exactly how Harry had remembered him so many times during their time apart. The boy he loved was finally with him again.

Draco scarcely saw the boy turn around as he wrapped his arms tightly around the Gryffindor.

"I missed you so much." Draco cried into Harry's robes. His surprise passing, Harry wrapped his own arms around the blonde and rested his cheek on the boy's head.

"I missed you too. I am never letting you go. I don't think I could survive it again." Overcome with emotion, a lump had formed in his throat causing him to manage only a whisper into the platinum blonde hair in his face. Wrapping his arms tighter still, Harry breathed in the crying boy's scent and kissed his hair. Over and over. He refused to release Draco for fear that he be just another hopeful dream, soon to be dispersed by the morning alarm.

Harry also beginning to cry when the reality that his boyfriend was back in his arms set in.

"I love you." Draco sobbed, blurting it out, no longer able to hold back the words.

"I love you too. I am never letting you go again. Never again. Never." Harry mumbled, the latter as much to himself as to Draco.

Looking up into teary green eyes, Draco replied, surprising them both with the sudden strength behind it. "Nothing could make me leave you again."

Neither boy able find the words for how they felt, they stood in each other's arms for what felt like forever, not parting even when the sky darkened or when the snow began to fall.


End file.
